Pokemon 4: Evil's Last Stand
by FoxMcCloud7921
Summary: As if Dawn hasn't been through enough, she soon learns a dark secret, one that involves her past. The sequel to "In The Shadow of Twilight."
1. Evil's New Plan

Me – Hello everyone! We present to you another FoxMcCloud7921 production!

Pikette – With limited commercials!

Pikachu – And in High Definition!

Me – Hopefully, for both of those. Anyway, I have been waiting to do this particular story for quite some time. Why, you ask? Well, I believe this could well be one of my best stories ever written, and definitely a good soundtrack.

Pikette – There's a little something for everyone.

Me – Yep. Now, I better explain a little bit. YES, this is a sequel to P2, before anyone asks. Also, the soundtrack to this, which is definitely going to kick some major ass, features many songs from the game _Lost Odyssey. _I've never played the game, but I definitely want to now. Of course, there'll be other stuff too, but this is the main provider. Now, before I start, I'd like to begin with a little song called "Gangara's Plot." ENJOY!

* * *

Chapter 1: Evil's New Plan

*In a faraway land near the region of Sinnoh, a great castle stood. Deep inside, in one of the many chambers, a man sat a desk, reading a small novel. The room was rather large, dimly lit by only a few candles. All of a sudden, there was a knock coming from the rather large room.

"Enter," the man said. The door openedand another man walked in, but he was wearing light armor and was holstering a long sword. "Ah, Commander Vasquard, please come in."

"You wanted to see me?" Vasquard asked a bit nervously.

"Yes, please take a seat," the man said. "Of course, you know about the large celebration coming up?"

"Of course," Vasquard said. "All invitations have been sent."

"All except one," the man said. "One more will be added to the list."

"But everyone in the city has been invited," Vasquard explained. "Who could we have missed?"

"One who is not native to this land," the man said. "Of course, there's more to this than you think. And because I trust you highly, Vasquard, I will tell you." He then put down the novel he was previously reading. "Despite pleasant times, I am feeling a bit worried."

"Worried about an attack?" Vasquard asked. "I can assure you that day we will be fully prepared."

The man nodded. "The celebration would only give them more incentive to attack. But what I fear the most is that we will not be able to hold them off forever, for one day they will arrive with numbers greater than ours, and the lives of many good people will be taken away forever. No, it is time for us to take it to their side, once and for all."

"You mean, destroy Zion?" Vasquard asked.

"Exactly," the man said. "It will not be easy, but it has to be done, to save all of us."

"And what does this person have to do with it?" Vasquard asked.

"_She _and Zion are connected in many ways," the man said. "And it will be she who can save us all. Yes, we have very big plans for her indeed."

"How so?" Vasquard asked. He was asking many questions, mostly because he was rather confused.

"That, I cannot say right now," the man said. "But possibly in due time. Now, return to your post." Once Vasquard had left, the man returned to the novel he was reading. "Dark times are indeed near," he then said. "If we cannot succeed now, we are certainly doomed. That's why I need the girl. It is said that the offspring of evil has the power to destroy it, but only when united in love. She is the missing piece. She... is our only hope."

* * *

(A/N: Yes, a very evil song indeed. BUT WAIT! I'm not done yet. The next song is called "Prologue" from LO.)

* * *

_*The land was known as Cerenia. It was an island, almost the size of Sinnoh itself. It was unique, with tall mountains in the north, and lush forests in the south and west. Cerenia only had one city, Cerenia City, but compared to cities in Sinnoh, it greatly outnumbered them. However, not all lived in the city..._

In one of the thick, lush forests, a man, armed with only a sword, knife, and his Pokemon, was traveling through. His name was Eric. "It won't take much longer, Luxio," he said, talking to his small electric-type. "Just another hour."

Luxio just groaned. As much as he loved his master, he was not a big fan of traveling long distances just to get home. Still, it did seem better to be in the wild as opposed to being in the city. What he and Eric were doing was collecting wood to take back to the house.

"Winter will soon be approaching," Eric said. "And for us, it won't be a good one." Soon, Eric collected enough wood into the bag he was carrying and the two headed northwards towards home.

Eric, for the most part, was a rather quiet man. He wasn't one who really liked to boast about his past, for it wasn't exactly a happy one. But still, he goes on everyday, no longer worrying about it. But very soon, that will all change.

All of a sudden, Luxio felt himself stiffen. He felt himself becoming paralyzed and almost losing all control of his body. Noticing this, Eric turned around to him. "Luxio, are you alright?"

Luxio stood still for almost a minute, then looked back up to him, but his eyes looked miles away. "Eric, please hear me."

Eric recognized that voice instantly. "Mesprit, is that you?"

"Yes Eric," Mesprit said, talking through Luxio's mouth. Mesprit has the ability to leave it's body. It's soul had to have been possessing Luxio. "I need to warn you."

"Of what?" Eric asked.

"A dark presence is growing," Mesprit said. "And one that you care for dearly is the only one who can stop it. However, another dark presence is after her. Eric, please, you must save her!" Luxio then shook his head and looked around, not aware of what just happened.

Eric was rather stunned by this. "No, it couldn't be. It's not possible." He then looked to Luxio. "Looks like we have to get some firewood later on, we need to head to the city now." He then called Luxio back and took out another Pokeball. "Pidgeot, I require your assistance!" There was a flash of light and Pidgeot appeared. Petting him, Eric said, "We're going to have to return the city. Ten years it's been since the last time I've set foot on it. Come on Pidgeot, someone we know dearly needs our help."

Getting onto Pidgeot's back, Eric and Pidgeot then took to the air, towards the great city.

* * *

(A/N: So, who is this man who people may think he's good, but in reality he's not. Or is he? Yes, I'm trying to confuse you. And who is this girl, and her relationship to Eric and Zion, the great evil? That one might be easier. Okay, this is where we cue credits music. Now, before I had music from Final Fantasy XIII as the credit music but, due to recent findings, I decided to change it. This one, luckily, is much easier to find and has an official name. The name of it is "The Legend of Ashitaka" from the movie "Princess Mononoke." Great movie, I might add. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you do, you'll like it. Anyway, they have this title for the beginning and the end so obviously make sure to use the shorter one, about 1:39 I'll say. Hope this song works better. )

Pikachu – So, you really have been awaiting this story?

Me – Oh yeah, it's been on my mind for weeks. Glad I could finally start it. With work and such, I was going to delay it for some time but realized I couldn't wait and neither could anyone else, so here it is.

Pikette – Don't let us down, Chris. You still have that golden streak going. Don't let it end here.

Me – Trust me, that will never happen. Anyway, because I have to say it everytime, I do not own Pokemon, or any characters that belong to it. My own characters I own, and yes they are copyrighted. Nor do I own the beautiful music you will be listening to. Well, I guess that it's then. Bye for now.

FoxMcCloud7921


	2. Cerenia City

(A/N: Okay, so I'm not really sure how often I'll be able to update, so I'm just writing this as a reminder that's all. By the way, I didn't know, at first, Cerenia was the name of a drug XD. Go figure. Oh, one last thing, so we all understand completely:

Ash – 18

Dawn – 18

Brock – 19

Hopefully I'm not completely off from the last story.)

* * *

Chapter 2: Cerenia City

It had been almost a month since Ash, Dawn, and Brock, as well as their other friends, had saved their world from the evil within the world of darkness. Since then, Dawn had competed in the Jubilife City contest, with May and Drew who had come back to attend. Although it was not easy, Dawn was able to squeak through and beat both May and Drew to win her fifth and final ribbon.

"Now I can finally enter the Grand Festival!" Dawn said excitedly.

"Piplup pip!" Piplup said, who was on top of her head.

Dawn smiled happily. "To think that I've come so far in such a short time." A look of surprise then came onto her face. "I'm going to have to find myself a new dress to wear!"

She didn't realize that her two other friends face-faulted instantly on that comment. "Guess some things never change," Brock said, sighing.

"Well, it is Dawn after all," Ash said.

"I heard that," Dawn said, glaring at both of them, but still, they had a point. But what's a girl to do? The three of them were heading towards Sunnyshore City, where Ash planned on getting his eighth and final badge.

"Only one more and then its to the Sinnoh League!" Ash said.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu added happily.

"Just don't get overconfident, especially at this point," Dawn said.

"Yeah, from what I've heard, the gym leader from Sunnyshore City is probably the toughest out of all them," Brock said. "Not to mention, they like to use electric-types."

"Electric-types, huh?" Ash said. "Well, we better come up with a good battle strategy then."

"Don't worry Ash," Dawn said, who was holding his hand. "I'll be there supporting you like you did in Jubilife City."

"I know," Ash said, giving her a peck on the cheek. All of a sudden, his stomach started to grumble. "But I think before I think of any strategies, I might need some lunch first," he added, grinning sheepishly.

"Well, it's definitely around that time," Brock said. "We might as well take a break now."

And with that, the three of them got lunch ready, for their Pokemon as well as themselves. However, they wouldn't be eating for too long before they noticed someone coming towards them on the road. They soon found out the person was running towards them. Once the person got closer, they soon saw it was a man who was dressed in a fine suit and was sweating profusely.

"I better be getting paid good money for all of this," the man said, his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. He then noticed the the three others and their Pokemon. "Oh, don't mind me!" he said quickly. "I'm just on duty here." He then pulled out a slip of paper. "Is there anyone here, or hopefully somewhere close by, by the name of Dawn Berlitz?"

"That would be me," Dawn said.

The man then sighed happily. "Finally, I've been looking for you for almost three hours! My name is Derek by the way," he said, shaking her hand. "Anyway, I'm here to give you this." He then gave her the same slip of paper, which read:

_Dawn Berlitz,_

_You have been cordially invited to attend Cerenia City's greatest celebration, in honor of the city's existence. Hosted by his royal majesty, King Leon II, at Golistan Palace. Enclosed is a free ticket for your cruise to the great island of Cerenia._

After reading the note, Dawn seemed a little shocked at first. All of a sudden, her eyes glittered with happiness. "Oh my God! To be actually invited to a real palace by a real king! It almost makes me feel like a princess!" She then stopped. "But what about my friends? Are they invited as well?"

"Well," Derek said, a bit uncomfortable. "I wasn't exactly told to bring guests, so I'm not exactly sure."

"It's alright Dawn," Ash said. "You can go on without us. It's no big deal at all." Brock nodded in agreement.

But Dawn wouldn't have it. "But they have to come with me," she said, using the old method called the puppy-dog face. She was planning on going to tears next if she needed to. "Please, isn't there something you could do?"

However, only that was needed as Derek then smiled. "Now how can I say no to a pretty girl like you?" He then looked through his suit. "Aha!" he said, pulling out two more tickets. "Somehow I managed to store away two tickets. Luck must be on your side." He then gave Ash and Brock their tickets. "Now, the boat is supposed to leave from Sunnyshore City in..." He looked at his watch. "Actually, it left five minutes ago." Ash, Dawn, and Brock then face-faulted at this. "Never fear though," he then said as he pushed a button on his watch. "I know a way there that's faster and cheaper."

And before their eyes, a large ship, almost the size of a limousine, appeared in the air and landed in front of them. "That's... yours?" Ash said, surprised.

"No," Derek said. "This is just a ship loaned from the kingdom. Trust me, I have something much better. Well, hop inside!"

The design on the inside was more amazing then on the outside. As they each took a seat, they could only just stare and look around. The inside was filled with a small bar, with plenty of glasses and drinks. It definitely felt like luxury. There was only one thing though that didn't quite add up-

"Since when do we have flying ships?" Brock asked.

Derek, in the cockpit, said, "Well, Cerenia happens to be more technically advanced than any of the regions here. Don't take it the wrong way, you'll get there eventually."

The ship then took off, but surprisingly the ship flew smoothly. "Well, this is definitely a turn of events," Dawn said.

"Piplup," Piplup agreed.

"You got that right," Ash said. "Still, it would be kind of cool to check out new regions we haven't explored yet."

"Hey guys," Brock said, who was looking out the window. "Check this out." They then looked out the window. They were already over the ocean that bordered with Sinnoh. Down below, many Wailord were popping in and out of the ocean.

"Wow," Ash and Brock both said. While they already were amazed, they still had yet to see what was in store for them once they arrived.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, it's almost time to bring in another song. This song is practically the continuation of credits. Why do I do that, you ask? Well, it gives it more cinematic effect, and I like it that way. Anyway, the name of the song is "Main Theme" from Lost Odyssey. By the way, I would use videos by _djnardu_ since he has practically all the songs.)

* * *

After about another five minutes, they then felt the ship descending down towards, meaning they were arriving at their destination. They descended onto one of the landing pads surrounding the city. Derek got out of the cockpit and then opened their door. *"Welcome to Cerenia City," he then said.

They then got out and were quickly stunned. Before them laid a city, far greater than any city they've ever been in, even Jubilife. Derek then escorted them to where they were going to be staying, for that had already been paid for as well. As they got onto one of the streets, the three of them couldn't help but look at every building that stood in place. It was quite remarkable how architecture could so many different forms. While this was going on, ships were taking off and landing from various locations.

On the ground, there were many cars and buses going by, but there was also many people out in the streets as well. There were restaurants, stores, etc. The city had almost anything. Near the center of the city stood a large fountain, with sculptures of the Pokemon Latios and Latias. Occasionally, they would pass by some guards who were armed with swords. It was like being in the medieval times, only more futuristic.

Soon, they arrived to their destination, which happened to be a large inn called "The Spirit Of The Sea," which itself was a remarkable building, with it's own little fountain. Derek then checked them into their rooms. "Well, my services here are done," he said right before he left. "I hope you all enjoy your stay here."

The three of them then went to their rooms, which were together since they had a suite. Whoever had provided this had quite a bit of money. "This is amazing!" Dawn said as she went around in her separate room. The inn had already provided them with clothes for the night. The room itself reminded them of a small house.

"This is definitely better than what they could possibly provide back in Sinnoh," Ash commented.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said, agreeing.

"Well, seeing what the rest of the city is like, it's no surprise," Brock said. A troubled look then appeared on his face. "The only thing that bothers me is the fact that I've never even heard of this place."

"Now that I think about it, neither have I," Ash said.

"Well, this island is about two hundred miles off the coast of Sinnoh," Dawn said. "So of course we wouldn't have any idea of it's whereabouts or its history. Not to mention how technologically advanced they are."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Ash said. "So, when is this celebration?"

"From what it sounds like, tomorrow night," Brock said.

"Then I guess we still have some free time then," Dawn said. "And seeing that this will be a big celebration, we'll have to find something nice to wear."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ash said. "Hmm, I wonder if they have anything here for battling or at least training."

Brock went back into his room and opened one of his drawers, which consisted of a map. "Well, this will definitely help."

But even that didn't help. The entire city was full of so many things to do and places to see that it would take days to be able to do all of these. "Well, at least there'll be plenty of shops for me to see," Dawn said, causing Ash, Pikachu, Piplup, and Brock to sweatdrop.

"You're really that obsessed with seeing all these stores?" Ash asked.

Dawn just laughed. "I'm just kidding Ash. Even someone like me could get overwhelmed with so many places like this." She then spotted something on the map that looked like a stadium. "Hey, what do you think this is?"

"Unfortunately, this map doesn't have much of a key," Brock said. "But it is relatively close, and we do have some free time."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ash asked. "Let's go!" He and Pikachu then rushed out of the room.

"Has he always done that?" Dawn asked Brock, who were both sweatdropping.

"Oh, you have no idea," was Brock's only response as the two ran out the door to catch up with Ash.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, so we now get our first glance at Cerenia City. Sorry that it seems a little boring at first, but don't worry, as the story goes along it'll get more exciting. The next chapter for sure is one I've been wanting to do for some time so you'll be in for a treat. So, I'll see you all later.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	3. PokeBlitz!

(A/N: Oh, sorry about the huge typo in the title. XD Got it fixed!)

* * *

Chapter 3: PokeBlitz!

Despite it taking about ten minutes to get there, the three finally reached the giant stadium, and giant it sure was. "Wow, with a stadium this big, they must have huge Pokemon tournaments," Ash commented.

"Or, it could be for Pokemon _Contests_," Dawn said.

"Well, either way, it definitely attracts large crowds," Brock said, and it was true. The lines were rather large, meaning this event was a big deal.

"Better see what's going on," Ash said. He then went to a boy about his age who was standing in line. "Excuse me, but what event is going on here?"

The kid looked at him in confusion. "What event? _What event? _You can't be serious!? You're joking right?"

"Um, no I'm not," Ash said as both Dawn and Brock came up to him.

"Well obviously it's for PokeBlitz, probably the best sport in the world!" the kid said. All he got were blank stares. "You... don't know what PokeBlitz is, do you?"

"Nope," the three of them said.

The kid sighed. "Apparently you're not from around here. I better explain then, but before I do that I better introduce myself. The name's Brian."

"Nice to meet you, Brian," Ash said. "My name is Ash, from Pallet Town."

"My name is Dawn, from Twinleaf Town," Dawn said.

"And my name is Brock, from Pewter City," Brock said.

"Outsiders, huh? I guess that explains why you wouldn't know the sport," Brian said. "Anyway, PokeBlitz is practically a worldwide sport seen and played in most areas of the world. You see, PokeBlitz is kind of like a mixed version of soccer, football, and water polo. You have two teams of five Pokemon battling out against each other, and the main point of the game is to score goals through the opponent's hoop. Trust me, you'll figure it out once you see it. Of course, there's just one little thing."

"What's that?" Brock asked.

"Take a look for yourself," Brian said, motioning to something behind them. They looked back and saw a giant screen, displaying the inside of the stadium. However, there was one thing in particular that looked very peculiar.

"Wait a minute, is what I'm seeing supposed to be a large sphere of water?" Ash asked.

"You got it," Brian said, grinning. "Actually, it's not exactly water. Well, I can't really explain it."

"So that means only water-types can compete?" Dawn asked.

"Actually, no," Brian said. This for sure made the trio confused. "You see, although it looks and feels like water, it's completely breathable. Any kind of Pokemon can compete, although I wouldn't use rather heavy types, or I guess even fire-types because they hate the water. Light and speed are your best bets."

"So what exactly are they doing today?" Brock asked.

"Well, today they're having a special tournament available for all fans to join up," Brian said. "They've been doing this for years now, since fans just love to be part of the action. I personally, along with my friends, are signing up. You should as well, it is worth the experience after all."

"Actually, for being a sport I've never heard of, it does sound fun," Brock said, thinking about it.

"Yeah, and you know what they say, it's always good to try new things," Dawn added.

"Alright, we'll do it then!" Ash said.

"Cool," Brian said. "Then I guess I'll be seeing you in the competition then. See ya later."

Ash, Dawn, and Brock then got to the back of the line. "So, if we're going to do this, we need to think who we'll have playing," Dawn said.

"Well, definitely Buizel and Piplup for sure," Ash said. He then looked to Pikachu. "You willing to get a little wet, buddy?"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu said, nodding.

"Unfortunately, I'm not so sure if there is any other Pokemon we have that can handle the water," Brock said.

However, luck would come to them about five minutes later as Brian came back over to where they were. "Hey, um, so I found out that my friends couldn't make it, and I only have two water-type Pokemon, so is it alright if I could join your team?"

"No problem Brian," Ash said. "We're actually a little short on Pokemon ourselves. What two Pokemon do you have?"

"An Empoleon and a Dewgong," Brian said. "What about you?"

"We have Buizel and Piplup," Dawn said. "But Pikachu is going to be playing as well."

"That's perfect then," Brian said. "We'll have a mix of speed and strength. And trust me, strength plays a big part in this game as well."

"Sorry Brock," Ash then said. "Hope you don't feel left out since none of your Pokemon can handle the water."

"It's no big deal, I can still help out the team," Brock said. "Still, guess now would've been a good time to have Marshtomp here with me still," he added jokingly.

Soon, they got up to the front of the line and quickly signed up. For the most part, it was easy until –

"Team name?" Ash asked.

"Well, this is a team sport you know," Brian said.

"Unfortunately, I'm not one who comes up with names easily," Brock added.

Dawn thought about it for a minute. "How about... Team Go-Getters?"

"That does have a nice ring to it," Ash said.

"Simple but definitely creative," Brian added.

"I think it will do just fine," Brock said.

"Alright, Team Go-Getters it is," Ash said, writing the name down.

"Now that we're signed in, we have an hour to get ready before they finish filling out the brackets," Brian said. They then sat down at one of the tables in the lounging area. "So Ash, you say your planning on competing in the Sinnoh League?"

"Yep," Ash said. "Only one badge away, in Sunnyshore City. All in all, I'm planning on becoming a Pokemon Master."

"I'm planning on entering the Grand Festival Pokemon Contest, and hope to win it as well," Dawn said.

"And I'm planning becoming a great Pokemon Coordinator," Brock said.

"Wow, thats a lot going on," Brian said.

"What about you Brian?" Ash asked him.

"To be honest, I'm not real sure yet," Brian said. "I grew up in this city, been here all my life. Of course, it's different now than what it was then. People used to love doing Pokemon battles and have all sorts of tournaments. But, no one really does that anymore around here."

"Really? Why?" Dawn asked.

Brian just shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. I guess people here just like to have Pokemon as company and as friends. It's not always about battling."

"That's true," Brock said. "Battling may be about teamwork and trust, but it's also about bonding. It can make a Pokemon and it's trainer the best of friends."

"Yeah, Pikachu and I are prime examples of that," Ash said, chuckling while looking to his small companion. "We've been together since day one, and been on plenty of adventures, and more sure to come. Funny thing is, we didn't always get along." Ash could still remember that day, when he and Pikachu were attacked by a flock of Sparrow. When worst came to worst, Pikachu came to his aid at the end. That was where the friendship began.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean," Brian said. "Once you catch a Pokemon, you pretty much have to earn it's trust and friendship. Empoleon, when he was a Piplup, was the same way."

"Sounds like someone I know," Dawn said, smiling, while looking at her faithful companion. Piplup couldn't help but smile a bit.

Brian then looked at his watch. "Okay, the tournament is going to start in about fifteen minutes, so we better check to see if the brackets are done yet. We could also figure out our game plan as well." Heading to the main lounge, they then saw that the brackets had indeed been finished. "Damn, I was kind of hoping we'd get a bye," Brian said. "Oh well, we're going to be the third match in the first round. At least you'll get to experience what the game is like."

Brian then led them to the main part of the stadium, where the seats, as well as the giant sphere of water, was. "I'm not going to even bother asking how you get something like that in a stadium," Ash said.

After about another couple of minutes, the lights in the stadium then dimmed. "Ladies and gentlemen," an announcer said. "Welcome to the 20th Annual PokeBlitz Tournament here in Cerenia City. We have a total of sixteen teams here, a new record. We all here expect good sportsmanship, but also for everyone to have fun and a good time. Now, to start off the first match of the first round, we have at the red corner, the Necromancers, (A/N: I suck at team names.) and in the blue corner, the Top Gunners!"

All of a sudden, there were ten flashes of light very high above the blue sphere. Then, ten Pokemon skydived right into the water and took their positions. "They fall right into the water?" Brock asked.

"It's more for crowd entertainment," Brian said.

"Now, let the match begin!" Suddenly, a ball the size of a volleyball, shot out into the sphere and the match begun. As it turned out, Brian had been right when he said that the sport was rather physical as the teams brawled against one another to steal back the ball. It wasn't long before each team

had scored a goal against one another. After about another ten minutes, the teams stopped for halftime.

"Come on, it's time for us to get ready," Brian said. They then took an elevator to the highest floor in the stadium, and went into another huge lounging area. "This is where we wait," he then added. "Now, Ash and Dawn, since Buizel, Pikachu, and Piplup are yours, I'll let you choose what positions you want for them."

"Hm," Ash and Dawn both said, as they took out their Pokemon. "Well, Pikachu I know for sure would love to play offense."

"And Piplup, no doubt," Dawn said as the two Pokemon nodded.

"How about you Buizel?" Ash asked. "You want to do second-line offense and defense?"

"Bui bui," Buizel said, nodding.

"Very well," Brian said as he took out his Empoleon and Dewgong. "Alright Empoleon, you'll be helping Buizel on defense. Dewgong, I'm putting you as Keeper. Think you can handle it?"

"Dewgong," Dewgong said, nodding.

"Alright, then we wait then," Brian said. "I'm afraid they're going to have to figure out tactics since we have no idea what to expect. But I'm pretty sure they might have some tricks up their sleeves."

They then continued to watch the current match on the TV in the lounge. It was about another hour before their match came up. "Okay, the Pokemon have to go through the door up ahead, that'll lead to the main stage. We, however, have to go back down and take our seats in the coach's box."

"Alright guys," Ash said to Pikachu and Buizel. "No matter what happens, just try to have some fun out there."

"You too, Piplup," Dawn said. "And make sure to stay focused and keep a cool head." The Pokemon then went through the next door as the four trainers went back down to the coach's box.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, obviously I pretty much skipped that match because you probably don't care about those matches, just the ones involving our heroes. XD And yes, I pretty much ripped off Blitzball from Final Fantasy X. Actually, it inspired me to think of such a game, so I'm not really ripping it off. Anyway, you know what time it is again. The song I have here is called "Blitz Off!," perfect for such an occasion, and from Final Fantasy X, and also a favorite song. By the way, I'm getting these names from a site called . XD)

* * *

"And now, for our third match of the day," the announcer said. "We have two more teams battling it out for our grand trophy. I present, at the red corner, the Wave Racers, and at the blue corner, Team Go-Getters!"

Then, in the air, down came ten Pokemon, those including Buizel, Pikachu, Piplup, Empoleon, and Dewgong. Once they hit the water, they could instantly tell the difference. Indeed, the water was breathable. Even Pikachu, who the water didn't really bother as much, felt comfortable with it. On the other side, they saw a Swampert, Seel, Poliwhirl, Squirtle, and a Golduck. This was going to be an interesting match-up.

*"Let the match begin!" the announcer said. The ball then shot up into the air, or in this case the water, and it landed into Pikachu's paws. Then, with Piplup beside him for cover, he went forward as Buizel and Empoleon took their positions behind them. As it turned out, the other team was going to do whatever it takes to get the ball as Pikachu quickly got slammed by Squirtle and let go of the ball. Squirtle then got a hold of the ball and was able to dodge Piplup. However, it then got attacked by two Water Pulses from both Buizel and Empoleon, and Buizel grabbed the ball and started playing offense.

He was able to dodge attacks from Swampert, Seel and Poliwhirl, and with a Sonic Boom attack, he sent the ball sailing right at Golduck, who just managed to miss it and Buizel had scored the first goal. "Alright, way to go Buizel!" Ash yelled.

"Keep up the good work, all of you!" Dawn yelled as well.

Pikachu then told the others to keep their guard up, for they had no idea what offensive strategies this team had. The other team's strategy seemed a bit more organized as they used more definite routes for their attack. Pikachu guarded Swampert, Piplup guarded Squirtle, Buizel guarded Seel, and Empoleon guarded Poliwhirl.

Swampert, with the ball, then passed it to Seel, who then passed it to Poliwhirl, who tried to get a hard hit, but was disrupted by Empoleon. The shot was sent straight to Dewgong, but Dewgong was able to knock it away easily thanks to Empoleon's assistance. With about five minutes left in the half, the ball was then sent to Piplup, who waited to lure some of the defenders in and send it to Pikachu, but Swampert caught on quickly and intercepted the pass with great speed. Taking advantage of the open field, Swampert quickly charged down the middle of the line and, rather far from the goal, charged up a powerful Focus Punch, sent the ball straight down the line, scoring an easy goal as Dewgong barely missed it. The score was now tied.

Soon, halftime came around and the Pokemon left the field. "Hey, like I always say, no need to worry, right?" Dawn said.

"Right indeed," Brian said. "Being tied at halftime is usually typical. But, now it just comes down to good defense and being able to pull off shots."

"Right," Ash said. "Don't worry, as long as everyone stays focused, we'll be sure to win then."

Soon, halftime ended and the second half of the match began. This time, the opposing team got the ball first. However, Pikachu and the group learned quickly with what they could and could not do. Pikachu then skull bashed Swampert, who had the ball, and it was dropped. Piplup then got a hold of it and sent it back to Buizel, who then went to the center of the field. He then passed it to Empoleon. Empoleon, who charged up a Steel Wing, struck the ball past all the defenders to Pikachu who was in the backfield, being completely ignored by everyone. Pikachu then used Iron Tail and struck the ball right at the goal, almost impossible to catch and they retook the lead.

However, there was plenty of time left for the other team to score, so defense was the key. With less than two minutes left, the Wave Racers came straight at them. Keeping his eye on Swampert, Pikachu watched the ball as it shifted from each player. He then saw Swampert shift ahead and quickly figured out their strategy. He then charged straight at Swampert as it received the ball. It then focused its energy once more and shot, but as the ball was sent off, Pikachu got in the way of it and, unfortunately, took the hit.

There were groans all over the stadium as they saw the hit. The ball then went straight up and Pikachu, with a bloody nose, went up and caught it, holding on to it as the clock struck zero, sealing them the victory. The four trainers got up happily and cheered for their Pokemon, Pikachu, however, had to be checked by the medic to see he was okay. Luckily, he sustained no serious injuries and would be okay.

"Wow, that was amazing!" Dawn said happily down in the main lounge area.

"Yeah, but I think we owe it all to Pikachu," Brock said.

"Pika pika," Pikachu said, who had pieces of cotton balls in his nose to help slow the bleeding.

"Yeah, now that's taking one for the team," Ash said.

"So Brian, what do we do now?" Dawn asked.

"Well, we just have to wait until the first round is over to see who we play next," Brian said.

"Alright, coming through! All-Stars here, you know!" They then looked back and saw a group of men walking through the hallway.

"Who are they?" Brock asked.

"They call themselves Kamikaze Legends," Brian said, an annoyed look on his face. "They've been the tournament champions for the past five years. Of course, they may be good but they also use real cheap tactics, most that are illegal."

"And they get away with it?" Ash asked.

"Somehow," Brian said. "But I get the feeling none of the chairmen ever realize what they are doing. If we make it all the way, we'll most likely have to face them in the final round."

"Well, it doesn't matter how good a team is, as long you have confidence, anything is possible," Dawn said proudly.

"Yep," Ash said. "I personally hope we do meet them."

Soon, they faced the next two rounds against two tough opponents but were able to pull each one off. As they had expected, they were facing the Kamikaze Legends in the final round.

"Well, well, well," one of the guys said, who was most likely the leader of the group. "The fact that we are facing you of all teams, that's definitely saying a lot."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dawn said angrily.

"Well, you're definitely all an odd bunch, especially the fact that you have a Pikachu with a team of water-types."

"And who are you, exactly?" Brock asked.

"Name's Gavin," he said. "And this my team of Drexel, Troy, Nicholas, and Jackson. Of course, I don't really have to tell you that since you'll be hearing our names over the loudspeaker once we get this match taken care of."

"Oh, we'll see about that," Brian said.

"Hehe, I think he's challenging you, Gavin," Drexel said.

"Well, I think this match will be enough to see whether anyone has the chance of beating me in a battle," Gavin said. He then took out a Pokeball and sent it out, dsiplaying his Pokemon, which was a Feraligatr. "I think Feraligatr himself is a good enough motive." Feraligatr nodded in agreement.

"Don't even get your hopes up, Gavin," Brian said. "Even if you do win, they'll find out the truth about your so-called championship wins."

"But until then, we have another match and another championship to put on our belts," Gavin said. "Come on guys, let's let these poor souls pray to themselves for luck. They're going to need it."

"So, have they always been like that?" Brock asked Brian as they walked away.

"Oh yeah," Brian said. "Come on, we better get ready. I'll be looking forward to wipe that stupid smirk off of all their faces." Right before the match began, they made sure to tell their Pokemon to be ready for anything and everything. Knowing this team, they would try to get away with anything.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, for this match I have a different song. The name of it is called "Confrontation" from FFX.)

* * *

*Soon, the Pokemon took the field once again. This time, however, they were facing more intimidating opponents. Along with Feraligatr, there was Sealeo, Crawdaunt, Poliwrath, and Kingdra. Poliwrath played Keeper and the others played their respected roles.

The ball then shot into the air and Feraligatr got to it first. Seeing as he was the only one who could match up to him, Empoleon made to sure stay with Feraligatr at all times, as well as with Piplup with Sealeo, Pikachu with Crawdaunt, and Buizel with Kingdra.

Despite Feraligatr's size, he was still rather quick. However, Empoleon managed to stick with him. Seeing this, Feraligatr took his available claw and slashed Empoleon across the face, stunning him. Enraged, Empoleon used Metal Claw and slashed back at Feraligatr, who dropped the ball and Empoleon quickly snatched it.

However, Empoleon didn't anticipate what would happen next. As it took the ball, he felt something smash right into him, knocking the breath out of him. Crawdaunt, who was the culprit, then took back the ball and with only Buizel to help defend, who was being blocked by Kingdra, the goal was practically left open. Using Crabhammer, Crawdaunt sent the ball right towards the goal and Dewgong, who tried using Water Gun to slow down the velocity of the ball, was hit directly and pushed into the goal, still making the goal count.

Pikachu and the others were a little surprised by this. Despite their cheap tactics, they were still a talented team. "Hang on guys," Pikachu said. "They might have advantage in size, but we have advantage in speed! Don't give up!" Getting the ball, Pikachu went forward, with Piplup at his side, trying to dodge Sealeo. Pikachu then had an idea. "Hey Piplup, think you can use Whirlpool and send it my direction."

"Sure, but what for?" Piplup responded quickly as he swam up, down, left, and right to try to get open.

Pikachu smiled. "You'll see." Piplup then shot out a whirlpool and sent it straight at Pikachu. Pikachu then went right into the whirlpool and then used thunderbolt. The whirlpool then became a vortex of electricity. Kingdra and Crawdaunt, who were defending could only sit there in shock and were caught in the vortex, being electrocuted. Pikachu then shot out of the funnel, and with an open field, took the shot. The ball was hit with such velocity that it hit Poliwrath right in the head, and through the goal right before halftime was reached.

The Kamikaze Legends were shocked by this. No one, absolutely no one, had ever scored against them. Not one team in the last five years. They then got the ball back in the beginning of the second half and for once, the game was on the line for them. However, they always had a back-up plan, even when they don't need it.

Piplup, who was still guarding Sealeo, realized he was getting banged around by Kingdra. Ignoring it, he kept up to Sealeo's pace. However, Kingdra kept antagonizing Piplup, and soon Piplup, who was becoming real annoyed, shot a BubbleBeam attack right at Kingdra. Crawdaunt, who saw the attack, shot a Dark Pulse attack right at Piplup but missed and was hit by a Water Pulse from Buizel. All in all, it soon became a huge brawl. It took about thirty seconds to break up the fight.

Dawn sighed as the brawl went on. "So much for a cool head, Piplup," she said.

Once the brawl finished, Pikachu realized their trick. The clock, once it begun, was non-stop no matter what. They were trying to run out the clock. Realizing it was now or never, Team Go-Getters decided it was time to give it their all. Pikachu, who now had the ball once again, went straight forward. He was protected by Empoleon and Piplup, who both used Water Gun to ward off the other defenders. However, Pikachu then realized that Feraligatr was coming up quick behind him.

All of a sudden, he felt something grab him and his speed increased. Looking behind him, he saw that it was Buizel who was using his tail as a propeller to give Pikachu speed. "Need some help?" Buizel asked.

"Definitely," Pikachu said. However, they didn't quite realize that Sealeo was still in front of them.

"Hang on," Buizel said. He then sent Pikachu flying towards the goal using Sonic Boom. With anticipation from the crowd above and below them, it was now all up to Poliwrath. Using the momentum he had, Pikachu set up an Iron Tail attack and with his tail glowing, sent the ball right at Poliwrath.

With the combined velocities, the ball was twice as fast as before. Poliwrath waited for the ball to come but realized the velocity was too much at the last second and was hit right in the center and was blown back with such force, scoring the goal and sealing the game.

The crowd went crazy, not because it was the end of the game, but because the five-star champions had finally been beaten, to a very unlikely team.

Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Brian celebrated as well with their Pokemon, giving them and each other hugs and high-fives. Gavin and his group just stood there, shocked by what they just experienced, but soon left with scowls on their faces.

Soon, they were presented with the large trophy, and they all held it up towards the screaming fans. It was a day that would never be forgotten.

"I have to say, if my friends did show up, I'm not sure if the outcome would've been the same," Brian said afterward, laughing.

"I have to admit, it was rather fun," Ash said. "But I think the Pokemon enjoyed it more."

"No doubt about that," Brian said. "Wow, it feels like just yesterday that I was wanting to compete and win this exact trophy."

"You know what Brain, you can keep it," Ash said.

"What? Are you serious?" Brian asked.

"Of course," Dawn said. "We don't need a trophy to help us remember all the fun we had."

"And besides, you played a big part in this as well," Brock added.

Brian just looked at them for a couple of seconds and then looked back to the trophy. "Alright," he said. "Mom and Dad will sure be proud of what I accomplished today. Well, it's getting late now and I better head home. Ash, Dawn, Brock, it was a pleasure to meet you and maybe we might run into each other again sometime."

They then said goodbye to each other and Brian headed home. Dawn all of a sudden found herself yawning. "Boy, am I tired," she said.

"I think we all are," Ash said.

"Well, it was definitely a long day," Brock said. "Let's head back to the inn and get some sleep."

And with a fun and successful day behind them, the three trainers headed back to the inn and turned in for the night.

* * *

(A/N: Wow was this a long chapter. Took me long enough to do it, too. Perhaps I didn't mention it before, but I LOVE Blitzball. I felt it would be cool to do a Pokemon version of it, but I hope Square-Enix doesn't hear about it and sue me. That would ruin my day completely. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter because it took me awhile to write it.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	4. Celebration

Chapter 4: Celebration

The next morning, Dawn woke up to the sun shining in her face. She then looked over and saw Ash beside her, asleep with his arms around her. She had asked him to stay with her for the night despite the fact they had separate rooms. She then smiled. Not too long ago, she and Ash were just regular friends on a journey through Sinnoh, although they both knew they had feelings for one another. It just took awhile to get to where they were now.

Dawn then got out of bed, carefully enough not to wake Ash, and walked up to the window. There was a beautiful sunrise on the horizon, lighting up the city before her. Never has she seen such a beautiful sight, at least not lately. And yet, there seemed to be something familiar about this place, but she could not explain it. Now that she thought about it, it was rather strange that _she_ of all people was being invited to a celebration she had never heard of before, in a region she has never been to in her life.

_"Maybe I'm just overthinking it," _she thought to herself. Since she was up now, Dawn decided to take a shower and, unless the others were up by then, go down to breakfast herself. After about ten minutes, she got of the shower, got dressed, and started doing her hair. Of the many priorities she had, her hair was at least number two, but she wasn't embarrassed to admit it.

All of a sudden, she saw a pair of hands cover her eyes. "Guess who?" a voice said.

Dawn just smiled. "Ash Ketchum, I cannot believe you of all people would sneak into the bathroom while I'm in here. I could've been undressed."

"Well, that's not a problem for me," Ash said, smirking. That earned him a punch to his shoulder. "What? I was just kidding!"

"Whatever," Dawn said, rolling her eyes with a grin. "I'm surprised you're up this early. It's about eight."

"Well, my stomach actually woke me up," Ash said, chuckling.

"Well, _that's _no surprise," Dawn said, laughing as well. "Well, then I guess we'll head down then. Is Brock up as well?"

"No," Ash responded. "But we can bring something back for him. Pikachu's up though."

"Alright then," Dawn said. "Let's hurry down then in case they have long lines."

Soon, Ash, Dawn, Pikachu, and Piplup, who practically had to be dragged out of bed by Dawn, headed downstairs to where the small cafeteria was. "So, what are the plans for today?" Dawn asked while eating a piece of toast.

"Well, that big party thing is tonight," Ash said. "So it would probably be good to find some clothing that would be suitable for it."

"In other words, an entire day of shopping," Dawn said with a wink. "My kind of day."

"Piplup pip," Piplup said, agreeing.

Ash groaned. "Great, guess that means we're going to be in every shop in the entire city."

"Pikapi," Pikachu said, shaking his head.

"No, not _every _store," Dawn said jokingly. "Just the majority." Suddenly, her smile went to a frown.

"Something wrong Dawn?" Ash asked.

"It's nothing..." she said. She then sighed. "Alright, it just seems a little strange. I mean, if this is such a big celebration for this city, why was I invited to it?"

"Maybe you have family here?" Ash suggested.

"I highly doubt it," Dawn responded. "Mom never mentioned anyone else in the family. Not even Dad-" she then cut off mid-sentence. "I don't think there's anyone here who could be related to me, I just know that for sure."

Ash and Pikachu looked at each other, realizing Dawn's little pause, but chose not to press it. "I guess it was just luck then," he said.

"Probably," Dawn responded. She then sighed again. "Sorry Ash, I know it's not a big deal, but this whole experience just seems a little too suspicious."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Ash said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Most likely we'll only be here for another day or two and then we can head back to Sinnoh. That sound like a good plan to you?"

"It sure does," Dawn said, smiling again. "Well, let's head back upstairs and see if Brock's awake yet."

* * *

"With a city this big, you just don't know where to start," Brock said, looking at the map while the three were walking downtown.

"Well, I'm sure we'll run into a clothing store eventually," Ash said reassuringly.

"In fact, there's one right over there," Dawn said, pointing to a rather large store. The store was so huge, it was practically heaven for Dawn. "See, this will do just nicely," she added. And it did, since it had about everything, from casual to formal wear.

"Hey Brock," Ash whispered to Brock as they were picking out clothes. "Did Dawn ever mention to you about her father?"

"No, actually," Brock responded. "She never told you?"

"No," Ash said. "Well, she almost did but she stopped mid-sentence."

"Hmm," Brock said, curious now. "Well, obviously since she doesn't want to talk about it, it's probably nothing good, and I think it would be best if we stay out of her business."

"Right," Ash said. And even so, Dawn would probably explain it all to him eventually.

After about fifteen minutes, Ash and Brock were able to find something that suited them well. Dawn, however, was still deciding. "Hey, you two have it easier than me," Dawn said in her defense. "I on the other hand have to look the very best I can. This is my one and only chance."

"No need to rush, Dawn," Ash said. "We still have the whole day ahead of us and the celebration isn't until tonight."

"I know," Dawn answered. She then looked to the dresses she had picked out. She then looked at one in particular, which was lavender. "Hmm, out of all the ones I've picked, lavender seems to be the best bet. Alright, lavender it is. See, it didn't take nearly as long as either of you probably thought."

This caused the three to laugh then. After that, they went to check-out and purchased the clothing. "So, is there anything else we could do?" Ash asked.

"It would be cool to, but I'm not sure if we would even find our way back to the hotel," Brock said.

"Good point," Dawn said. "Well, the celebration is going to officially start in a couple of hours and the palace is a bit far from the inn so I guess we might as well head back then."

"Not a problem for me," Ash said. "I skipped lunch and I know for sure I'll be starving by then so I hope the food's real good."

Brock and Dawn both face-faulted at this. "Same old Ash," Dawn groaned.

"Well, at least he's willing to try new things, even if that also means food," Brock said, agreeing.

After heading back to the inn and relaxing for about an hour or two, they then got dressed up and headed towards Golistan Palace. Along the way, they saw that many other residents, who were dressed as well, were heading in the same direction.

"Just how many people were invited?" Ash asked.

"Apparently the whole city," Brock said. "The palace must be that big." After a couple more minutes, they would soon find out. Once they got to the site, they were instantly awestruck. Of all the buildings and architecture that they have seen, Golistan Palace went above all of them.

The palace was about the size of two football stadiums length-wise, and about ten stories high. It was covered in decorative lighting, which helped give out it's beautiful color design. Ash, Dawn, and Brock then followed the large number of people inside. If the outside wasn't good enough, the inside was even more impressive. The palace held many rooms, including a library and observatory. But the ballroom had to have been the most noticeable aspect. The ballroom contained much decoration, and plenty of space for the amount of people who were coming. There was also a large section made off for an entire orchestra. What could be more perfect than that?

"Wow, it's so beautiful," Dawn said. "Inside and out."

"The architecture is incredible," Brock said. "Whoever built this, it must've taken them weeks to finish."

"Yeah, you got that right," Ash commented. However, the one thing they did notice was that even though it was a couple of minutes before the celebration officially started, everyone just appeared to be standing there.

"Excuse me," Dawn said to an older man. "But is there a reason why we're just waiting here?"

"Silly girl, we have to wait until the king comes," the man said. "He will be the one who gets things started."

"Well, he better hurry because I hate just standing here," Ash muttered.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, it's finally time for another song! This should be a perfect song for the following scene. The name of it is "Numara Palace" from Lost Odyssey. Don't forget about djnardu, he's the best provider of those songs!)

* * *

Luckily, they didn't have to wait long as a fanfare soon rang out and a man came out onto one of the upper balconies. "Presenting his royal majesty, your beloved king, King Leon II," he said.

He walked back to where he had been previously standing as the crowd of people broke out into applause. *Then another man, who was dressed in large white robes, then came out onto the balcony, causing the crowd to cheer even louder. The king had finally arrived. However, there was something unique about this king...

"He looks like he's..." Ash started.

"Not that much older than us," Dawn finished.

Leon then put out his hand to silence the crowd. "Thank you, everyone, for attending such an important event in not only our lives, but also in our history. The city, as well as the entire island of Cerenia, has been in existence for many centuries. It is special because we are united as one. We face everything together, both good and bad. Let us never forget those who made what is possible in today's world." He then smiled. "Now, enough of me talking. Let's get this celebration underway!"

* * *

(A/N: Okay, so maybe I forgot to mention that there was another song as well. Oh well. Anyway, the name of this song is "Rosalina's Comet Observatory 3" from SMG. Obviously you know that I'm using this song because it's the perfect song for ballroom dancing.)

* * *

The orchestra, who had already been sitting ready to start, began to play. *Everyone went different directions, some went onto the ballroom floor to dance, while others went to the gigantic buffet table which had about every single kind of food known to man. Surprisingly enough, Ash kept his hunger pangs at bay and asked Dawn to dance.

"You know, this is all nice and stuff," Dawn said after they put their arms around one another and started. "But what about Brock? I feel bad that he doesn't have a date."

Brock, meanwhile, was sitting at one of the many tables on the side of the room. _"This would've been the best time for me to have a date," _he thought. He then sighed. "Guess it must not be my night."

Then, a young woman about his age came up to him. "Excuse me?" she said to him. "I noticed you were just sitting here and I felt kind of bad." She then smiled. "My name is Lindsey. Is it alright if I ask for one dance?"

"Realllly?" Brock said happily as hearts bloomed in his eyes. He then took her hands. "My name is Brock, and I would be more than happy to accept an offer from one as beautiful as you."

Lindsey just laughed. "You're funny," she said as they went onto the dancefloor. Brock guessed he did something right since Croagunk didn't poison jab him.

"Nah, I think Brock will be fine," Ash said. "You know how he is." He then looked around. "Say, where's Pikachu?"

"You'd be surprised," Dawn said, giggling a little bit. "I was able to convince Pikachu to dance with Buneary, you know how those two are."

"Well, I'll just have to talk it over with Pikachu about the whole love thing," Ash said as he kissed her lips.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but I was wondering if perhaps I could have just one dance?" Dawn turned around and saw that Leon stood before. "Your Majesty?" she said, surprised.

Leon just shook his head while smiling. "Please, just call me Leon. I was noticing you above on the balcony and I couldn't help but express how there is no one else who has as much beauty as you do." He then kissed her hand.

"Oh," Dawn said, instantly blushing. "Thank you your- I mean, Leon." She then looked over to Ash, who just shook his head, smiling. "Very well Leon, you may." And taking his hand, they then started dancing.

"You seem nervous," Leon said, as they went moved around.

"Well, it's not everyday you find yourself hand-in-hand with a king," Dawn responded. "My name is Dawn, by the way."

"Dawn, a beautiful name to match," Leon said, smiling.

Meanwhile, Ash was sitting at one of the empty tables, staring at the only Pokemon pair. Normally, Pikachu was a little uncomfortable when he was around Buneary, but tonight he looked like he was enjoying himself. Ash then looked back to where Dawn was, with Leon. Knowing Dawn, when she had the chance, she was going to call her mom and tell her exactly what happened tonight. However, he wasn't aware of what was to come.

All of a sudden, the doors on the one side barged open with a loud bang and a soldier came through it, sprinting as if he was running a marathon. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" he yelled with the energy he had left. He then ran up to the king. "Sire, we have to get everyone out of here and to safety."

"What are you talking about?" Leon asked.

"They've attacked once again, your majesty," the soldier said.

Leon's eyes then lit up. "As I feared," he said. He then looked to Dawn. "Listen closely Dawn, I want you and everyone else to find somewhere safe and stay there." He then looked back to the soldier. "Gather what forces that are not already fighting. I will not have this night ruined!"

* * *

(A/N: Oh cliffhanger, why do you torture people's minds, making them wait? It's kind of fun to do, but I guess I wouldn't like it either. Anyway, who's attacking the city? Well, you'll have to find out next chapter, and please don't kill me!)

FoxMcCloud7921


	5. Attack!

(A/N: Sweet, already starting the chapter off with a song. This one is called "Crisis & Warning" from LO. By the way I, somewhat unfortunately, read the overall plot of the new Pokemon movie, and I must say this could be a really good movie, especially for Pokemon. Ahh, if only I could understand Japanese :(.)

* * *

Chapter 5: Attack!

"Leon, what's going on?" Dawn asked the king, rather confused.

"Quickly, you must head to safety, it's too dangerous here!" Leon said. He and the soldier then ran out of the ballroom.

*"Dawn, what's going on!?" Ash said to her, him and Brock coming up to her as people, realizing what was going on, started to panic and raced towards the closest exit.

"I'm not sure, but we had better get to the inn, that'll keep us safe," Dawn said as explosions then started to rumble outside. They then exited the palace and saw the chaos before them. The explosions were from buildings being taken down by giant balls of fire, being flung from somewhere just outside the city limits. While people and soldiers scurried around, ships had taken to the air against this unknown enemy. It was a complete war zone.

"Come on, we need to keep moving!" Brock said to the other two. As they ran back on the path they took to get tot he palace, Dawn could see barely visible figures scoping across the buildings some distance away from them.

_"What in the world could those things be?" _she thought to herself. She personally didn't want to find out. _"Wait a minute. No, it couldn't be..."_ All of a sudden, another explosion detonated in front of them and a wall of fire blocked their way. "Piplup, use Whirlpool!" Dawn then said. Piplup then produced a large vortex of water and shot it straight at the fire, extinguishing it easily.

"Good thinking!" Ash said, complimenting Dawn's idea. "Buizel, come on out!" There was a flash of light and Buizel appeared. "Buizel, help Piplup clear out any flames that come in our way!"

"Bui bui!" Buizel said, acknowledging him with a salute as they continued on. It was strange, who or what would want to attack such a beautiful city like this?

"Okay, we're close to the inn," Brock said. "As long as we're there, we should be alright since it looks like it could hold it's own for awhile."

* * *

(A/N: Alright, here comes the first battle of the story, well mini-battle I guess you should say, but you're probably relieved anyway. The name of the song is "Battle With the Demons" from LO and you'll see quickly why I chose this song and why it fits perfectly.)

* * *

*Then, out of the air appeared two black and redish figures, similar to the ones that Dawn had seen. "What the hell are those things!?" Ash cried.

"I don't know, but I get the feeling they're the ones behind all this," Brock said.

All of a sudden, the two figures then shot fire from their palms, or claws, straight at the trio, but they managed to dodge it. "Hey!" Dawn said angrily. "If you want to play games, we'll play then! Piplup, use Whirlpool once more!"

Piplup then sent another whirlpool at one of the figures. Once hitting it, the figure seemed to flinch a bit. "They must be weak to water!" Ash declared. "Buizel, use Water Pulse!"

Buizel then shot a blue ball of energy at the other figure, who flinched as well. However, they didn't seem that phased by it, as they shot at the two Pokemon with such speed and knocked them both back. They hit the wall behind them and were instantly knocked out. "What... are those things?" Brock asked, stunned.

"There's no way they can be Pokemon," Ash said.

"I don't care what they are!" Dawn said, now pissed. "No one hurts my Pokemon and gets away with it!" She called Piplup back and took out two more Pokeballs. "Buneary and Mamoswine, put these things on ice with Ice Beam!" Both appearing, Mamoswine and Buneary then shot out beams of ice at the dark figures, covering them in ice. However, it wouldn't be long before they broke free. Fire does melt ice after all.

_"Great, now I'm just pissing them off," _Dawn thought to herself. "If this doesn't work, I'm not sure what will. Mamoswine, use AncientPower!"

Mamoswine then produced a large whitish ball of energy and sent it right towards the two figures. It proved to be very effective as it the two and they then vanished into thin air. "Wow... I didn't realize Mamoswine was that strong," Ash said.

"Pikapi," Pikachu said.

"Great job Mamoswine!" Dawn said.

"Buneary!" Buneary said in agreement. However, Mamoswine had fallen asleep, causing them both to face-fault.

"Well, at least you got the job done," Dawn said, sweatdropping.

"Well, we had better get to shelter quick before more of those things show up," Brock said. And without anymore interruptions, they were able to make it back to the inn. Of course, by that time the fighting had eased, but there seemed to be some skirmishes throughout the city.

"I'm getting the feeling there's more to this city than we know," Ash said once they got back into their room.

"Yeah, no kidding," Dawn said. "Did you see those things? It was the most bizarre thing I've ever seen." Her face then lit up in horror. "Ash, you don't think this could be a relapse of before, do you?"

"That's impossible," Ash said. "We had taken care of Xanatos and his minions. You know that, Dawn."

"Yeah, but that was a month ago," Dawn argued. "It could be a matter of time before something else takes form and starts where Xanatos left off."

"Dawn does have a point," Brock said. "A month here could mean anything in that world. But, I think maybe it's best if we don't worry about it till tomorrow, at least then we can get some answers."

"Alright," Dawn said, sighing. To be honest, she didn't want to think back to those events. All it did was bring thoughts back to _her_, and Dawn still hasn't quite over it. Pikachu looked at her, and could tell what she was thinking. He as well hasn't quite gotten over with what happened one month ago. Thinking about it only gave him grief, so he shut those thoughts out.

Later that night, Dawn sat in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was just her and Pikachu, who wanted to sleep with Dawn for the night. "Hey Pikachu, are you still awake?"

Actually, Pikachu was about to fall asleep, but thanks to Dawn he was fully awake now. "Pika?" he said sleepily.

"Pikachu, I know you wouldn't like me to bring it up," Dawn said. "But do you still think about Yuna?"

Pikachu sighed. He knew the first second that was what she was going to ask. "Pikapi," he said, nodding.

"It just seems so unfair," Dawn continued. "To lose one you love in such a short time. I think to myself each and every night: what if she hadn't taken that blow for me? What if it was something that had caused her die? I get the feeling we may never know the answers to those questions." She then looked Pikachu square in the face. "But you know what I learned? Death is just another path, one that we must all take. Yuna... just left a little early."

Pikachu just put his head back onto the bed. He didn't want to be rude to Dawn, but he rather not talk about what happened or what could have happened instead.

_"She's gone, and nothing could or will bring her back," _he thought to himself.

* * *

Outside near the city limits, a figure walked quietly in the darkness. He was covered by a large cloak, which also hooded his face. Once he got to the city gate, he then saw what had taken place in the city not too long ago. _"Damn it, I knew it was only a matter of time before they would return," _he thought to himself. The good thing was that the city appeared to take minor damage. However, it obviously seemed that this was only the beginning of something, something that could end catastrophically.

All of a sudden, he felt his body tense. He knew now that he wasn't alone. He then called out one of his Pokemon, a Lucario. "Lucario, check the surrounding area for any uninvited guests," the man said.

Lucario then closed his eyes and used his aura to survey the surrounding area. With quick speed, he opened his eyes and shot an aura sphere at a bush to his left. There was a squeal, and a death cry.

"Still as sterling as ever, Lucario," the man said, who then lowered his hood, revealing him as Eric. He then looked around. "Surprised there are no guards around, unless they're doing patrol duty. Anyway, we better hurry and find some shelter. Looks like we're hitting the Pokemon Center tonight."

They then quickly but quietly entered the city. Mostly everything was intact, but there were certain places which got hit heavily. Surveying the damage, he just shook his head. "Ten years I've been away from this city, and ten years it's been since they've showed their ugly faces here." He then sighed. "I should've known I'd be pulled back into this." He then took out the picture that was taken thirteen years ago, one that shows a little girl with flowers in her hair. He then smiled. _"But then again, for Dawn's sake, I'd do anything for her..."

* * *

_(A/N: Okay, I know what you're thinking: "Why has Lucario been in every story lately?" Well, obviously Lucario is one of my favorite Pokemon ever. And if you don't like that, well that's just too bad then.)

* * *

_"Even with me gone, nothing will change... It will only be a matter of time before someone or something takes my place."_

Ash then woke up in his bed, sweating slightly. He once again had that dream, taking place in the dark realm. Did Xanatos really mean what he said, and is this only just proving it? Before, Palkia had aided him, but he knew well that this time he was by himself.

No, not by himself. Of course, he had his friends beside him, but before he could defeat this entity, he had to find out more answers.

"A penny for your thoughts," a voice said suddenly. Ash looked around and then got up out of bed. However, there was no one there.

"Who's there?" Ash said then.

The voice just chuckled. "It's only been a month and you've forgotten about me already? Ash, I'm surprised by you."

Ash then smiled, now recognizing the voice. "I didn't think I'd be seeing, or hearing from you again... Palkia."

"Hmm, perhaps not then," Palkia said. "Well, whether you intended on it or not, you called out and I responded."

"Where are you?" Ash asked.

"Not here, but in my own dimension," Palkia responded. "My own appearance would only complicate things. Now then, there's something that is bothering you, is there not?"

"Yes," Ash responded. "I, as well as you, know there's something going on here."

"This is true," Palkia said. "I'm afraid that Xanatos was not the root of all this darkness. No, there's something more, far greater and evil playing _this_ role."

"And you know what it is?" Ash asked.

"All in good time," Palkia responded. "You will find out soon enough. However Ash, you must know that this isn't your battle to fight."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, confused by this. He then thought about it. "It's Dawn, isn't it?"

"Yes," Palkia said. "It is her turn to play her role now. She will need guidance from you, but realize at some point she will have to fight alone. As of now, I'm not sure of her fate, but what I do know is that there's another who will guide her to her path of destiny."

"Another..." Ash then said. "So what do I do now? What should _we _do now?"

"You must be patient," Palkia said. "The answers will come to you in due time. All you can do now is wait. But it is time for us to part once more. We may or may not speak again, but remember my words, Ash."

It then became quiet once more. Ash, knowing that Palkia was gone, slipped back into bed, thinking of what he had just heard before falling asleep.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, so it was a short battle, which I expected, but perhaps you know what we're dealing with here. Or perhaps not. Anyway, maybe its time to explain. The reason I have Dawn playing a major role in this is because, well, Dawn has yet to star in any major roles, including the movies, which I kind of find unfair since May got a main role in the 9th movie. But oh well, who knows what they'll do with her seeing that the new movie won't her playing a main role. So Dawn, this one is for you.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	6. Explanations

Chapter 6: Explanations

Waking up the next morning, Ash found himself in the same position that he had fallen asleep in. He then knew what had occurred last night with Palkia was real after all. Getting up and looking out the window, the damage from the following night was more clear to see. Luckily, however, only minor areas seemed heavily damaged, meaning it wouldn't be long before that particular store or restaurant would be back up and running. Seeing that he was feeling hungry and that he was not sure if Dawn and Brock were up yet, he decided to take a quick shower.

Dawn, meanwhile, almost bolted of bed, breathing heavily. She just had the weirdest dream: she was somewhere dark, so dark that she couldn't even see her hands in front of her. All of a sudden, she felt like she was being watched, turned around and saw a pair of gleaming red eyes staring at her. Dawn only stared back at them, not knowing whether to feel fear or curious. The eyes then started to walk up to her. Then a voice rang out in the darkness. "Dawn, it is time to fulfill your destiny," the voice said. Then, a light grew around the eyes, showing it's figure. But the light was too bright to see, but looking closely, it looked almost like a-

"Pikachu," a voice then said, slightly muffled.

Dawn then looked to the ground and saw that Pikachu had fallen off the bed and onto the floor. "Oh Pikachu!" she said quickly, getting out of bed and picking up a rather confused Pikachu. "Sorry about that," she then said. "I had a really weird dream." Her thoughts returned to it then. What was the thing that she saw? Was it the one who had spoken? And what did it mean by destiny? Nothing seemed to add up, but then again, it was just a dream.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu said, who was still being held by Dawn.

"What?" Dawn said, coming out of her thoughts. "Oh, it's nothing. Hey, since we're both up, why don't we go see if the others are up and maybe we can get something to eat?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said happily. He then started following Dawn to the door but she then stopped.

"Actually, I think it might be best if I get a shower first," Dawn said, smiling sheepishly. Pikachu just face-faulted at the comment.

After about another ten minutes, the three trainers found themselves all showered up and ready to go. "So, where shall we head?" Ash asked.

"Well, if it's not totaled, I did happen to see a nice cafe on the street when we first arrived," Dawn said.

"Seeing as to what happened yesterday, it's surprising the damage wasn't much worse," Brock commented.

All of a sudden, there was a knock at their door. "Huh?" the three of them said at once. This was unexpected. Dawn opened the door and there stood a soldier, armed to the teeth with sword, bow, and combat knife.

"Miss Berlitz?" the soldier then said.

"Yes?" Dawn asked, a bit hesitant.

"I have a message from the king," the soldier said. "He says its quite urgent that he meets with you and your friends. I will escort you to him personally."

"Oh, I see," Dawn said, who looked back to Ash and Brock, who appeared to be just as confused as her. "Very well," she then said. "Lead the way."

With a changing sort of events, the three then followed the soldier back to Golistan Palace. Once inside, the soldier then escorted them to the king's chamber. Knocking on the door, a voice then said, "Come in."

Going inside, they saw Leon was sitting at a desk, reading a novel with a pair of reading glasses. "Your majesty, Miss Berlitz and her friends have arrived," the soldier said.

"Thank you Vasquard," Leon said, taking off his glasses and looking to them. "Your assistance is no longer required. You may go." Vasquard then bowed down and left the room. "Dawn, good to see you once again," he then said, standing up. Seeing Ash and Brock, he paused. "Forgive me, but who are you two?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town," Ash said.

"And I'm Brock from Pewter City," Brock said.

"I see, so you definitely are outsiders," Leon said. "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you both as well." He then looked to the novel he was reading. "You know, I was just reading an interesting story. It was about a young girl who was raised by Pokemon, after her parents abandoned her in a forest."

"That's so sad, but sounds so beautiful," Dawn said.

"Well, I've always been known as a bookworm," Leon said, chuckling. "Now, you're probably wondering why I asked you to come here. I'm sure you realize what had happened last night."

"Actually, we're not really sure what happened other than the fact that the city was attacked," Brock said.

"Ah, I forgot, you're not from around here," Leon said. "I better explain then. You see, the creatures you probably encountered last night were demons."

"Demons?" Ash said.

"Demons, daemons, call them whatever you want," Leon said. "Yes, they have been terrorizing our city for generations and generations. They say that they used to be people and/or even Pokemon who fell to darkness and were corrupted. No one really knows when they first started showing up, but back then there was a great war between humans and demons, which cost the lives of many. We were victorious and drove the cursed beings back to their own realm where they have been residing for hundreds of years. But that leads me to another thing, but before that, let's head to the library, I have something to show you."

They then left the room and headed down the giant fleet of stairs. Soon, they arrived at what had to be one of the largest libraries they've ever seen. "As a king, you have to be able to seek shelter somewhere from those who are constantly nagging you," Leon explained. He then looked around, trying to figure out something. "Now, there's one other thing you must know. There is an entity that controls the demons. You could say it's their leader. It's known as Zion."

"Zion?" Ash, Dawn, and Brock said at once.

"Well, that's what we refer to it as," Leon explained. "Zion is the one who has been attacking us for so long. How it came to be, I still have to find out, but there's one thing I did find." He then went over to one of the shelves and pulled out a rather large book. Opening it, he looked through it. "Now let's see... where is it?" he then said. "Ah, here it is:

"_An evil shall be reborn, covering the world in darkness._

_Only the offspring of this evil, united in love, can break this darkness _

_and with it's guardian,_

_cleanse the spirit of it's evil deeds."_

"A very interesting prophecy," Leon said. "Unfortunately, I've not the slightest idea what it means, at least certain parts. That's the other reason I brought you here. I need your help with this. I fear that if Zion attacks once more, our city is doomed. And if we go down, Zion will look to the other regions next."

"If Zion is so determined to conquer this city, then why not attack the other islands first?" Brock asked.

"Because Zion and the demons have a huge grudge against this city, against these people," Leon said. "Besides, if successful, the other islands will fall quickly I'm afraid."

"But what can _we_ do to help?" Dawn asked.

"I have this feeling that you're going to play a huge part in this," Leon said. "So, as of now, you will be temporary representatives of the king as part of the Council. And as such, you will be staying here, which I feel you might like very much."

"Wow, you really mean that?" Ash said.

"Of course," Leon said. "Those of high authority need to be treated as such. Now, I have a meeting with the Council around 11:30." He looked to the clock, which only read eleven. "Hmm, some time to waste." He then looked back to Ash. "Wait a minute, did you say your name was Ash Ketchum?"

"Yes," Ash said.

"Ah yes, now I know who you are," Leon said. "Word has to spread to here about your current success. Competed in the Pokemon Leagues in Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. Very impressive. Alas, the people here have lost interest in Pokemon battling. Now it's more for athletic competition. At least where you live they still cherish it. When I was younger, I used to be a trainer myself, back when my father and mother were ruling. But, because of certain events, I inherited the throne earlier than I had planned and to give up my training days." He then smiled. "However, that doesn't mean I've stopped it all completely. What do you say Ash? One small battle to take away some time?"

"Sounds good to me," Ash said, grinning. "But where would we go?"

Leon kept smiling. "I thought you'd never ask. Follow me." They then followed him out of the library and soon found themselves in a completely empty room. "Right now, it looks like a normal room," Leon said. "But..." He then snapped his fingers. All of a sudden, the floor in the middle of the room began to part, revealing a gap. However, another platform, this one showing a more rugged field with the familiar Pokeball symbol took it's place. The lights shut off and four additional lights turned on, lighting the battlefield. The room had now become a small arena. "Did the work myself," Leon explained. "With a little help, of course. Now Ash, since we are short on time, this will be a one-on-one battle, so I suggest using the strongest Pokemon you have."

"Got it," Ash said.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, so I was debating whether to use this song or not, but finally decided to use it. And I'm most likely going to use it in a future project. To all Pokemon fans, this song should be familiar. It's called "Kanto Trainer Battle (Burning Battlefield)" from the first season of the anime. Ah, I remember those days. When Pokemon was the biggest thing to ever hit the stores, with games, cards, backpacks, hell even lunchboxes (and no I didn't have one of those although I did have a backpack, "sigh" I miss those days.) When Pokemon was all people talked about in school. When Pokemon was... well I think you get the picture. Anyway, I was glad to have found this. Plus it has such a bitching bass part and I love it XD.)

* * *

Leon then walked to the other side of the field. "Remember Ash, I've heard many rumors about you. Don't disappoint me, give it everything you got."

"Not a problem," Ash said. "Alright Pikachu, I'm counting on you. Let's do this!"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu said, jumping out in front.

"An electric-type, huh?" Leon said. "Very well then. Arcanine, prepare for battle!" There was a flash of light and Arcanine appeared.

"An Arcanine!?" Brock said, surprised.

"It's so beautiful!" Dawn commented.

"Yes, I've had him since he was a pup," Leon said, scratching Arcanine behind the ears. "We've been training together for quite some time. *Alright Ash, I'll let you make the first move."

"Alright Pikachu, let's start off with Quick Attack," Ash said. He was using it to figure out Leon and Arcanine's strategy. Pikachu then charged at Arcanine with great speed.

Leon just smiled. _"So, trying to draw out my strategy, huh?" _he thought, figuring out Ash's plan. "Alright Arcanine, use Will-O-Wisp!" A circle of blue fire then surrounded Arcanine, and then shot straight at Pikachu. Pikachu managed to dodge the first couple but the others managed to meet their target and Pikachu was sent back.

_"Wow, what an attack," _Ash thought. _"And without even moving a muscle. Better come up with something quick." _"Pikachu, counter back with Iron Tail!" Pikachu then got up and leaped into the air with his tail glowing.

"You think steel attacks will beat Arcanine?" Leon asked. "Think again. Arcanine, you show them what a real Iron Tail is!" Arcanine then leapt into the air with his tail glowing as well. He then went up to Pikachu. Pikachu tried to take a swing at him but missed and paid the price. Arcanine then swung and hit Pikachu directly, sending him back towards the ground with a huge amount of force.

Despite the amount of damage he had taken, Pikachu was able to get up. However, he was wincing in pain. He didn't have much left in him. _"This isn't looking good," _Ash thought. _"One more hit like that and Pikachu's done for. This is make it or break it time." _"Pikachu, you have to hang in there. Try using Volt Tackle and give it everything you got!"

Pikachu nodded, knowing he couldn't lose here. He then used the energy he had left and charged straight at Arcanine, being engulfed by electricity.

"Volt Tackle? For a Pikachu?" Leon asked, surprised by this. "Very impressive, but it won't be enough. Arcanine, finish this off with Giga Impact," he added almost lazily. Arcanine then became engulfed in a sphere of energy as well and charged at Pikachu, overwhelming him quickly. Pikachu then hit the ground, knocked out.

"Wow, Arcanine sure is strong," Dawn said, awestruck.

"It didn't even take a single hit," Brock said.

"Pikachu," Ash said, picking up his best friend.

Pikachu looked up to Ash. "Pikapi," he said sadly.

"Hey, don't worry about it, you just had an off day, that's all," Ash said.

But that didn't help change Pikachu's mind. It wasn't really the fact that he had lost so easily, it was more of the fact that he didn't land a single attack. He was all of a sudden having doubts within himself.

Leon then walked up to them along with Arcanine. "A very impressive battle Ash. I can see your Pikachu is very strong. But what I like the most is that even in defeat you always stay positive. That's how you win battles." He then looked to his watch. "Ah good, it's almost time for us to meet with the Council. Come with me." They then left the room to meet with the Council, whoever they were.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, so it was a short battle, but I pretty much had to show how strong Leon is as a trainer, even though he is a ruler. Anyway, I hope that little prophecy isn't real retarded, I came up with it myself, but now I hope some things are a little bit clear even though they aren't fully, which I intended of course. And don't worry, you'll be seeing more of Eric soon and another main character later. So until then, adieu.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	7. The Council

(A/N: For those who don't know, I made a small change with the beginning credit music, which now is the track "The Legend of Ashitaka" from the movie "Princess Mononoke.")

* * *

Chapter 7: The Council

"The Council is rather similar to a Senate or House in democratic governments," Leon explained on the way. "There are seven people in all, and they are each in charge of certain areas like the military, agriculture, health care, etc."

"And what do you do?" Dawn asked.

"Well, it's best not to say it around them, but I have some higher authority over them," Leon said. "Pretty much, I'm the one who supervises and makes sure decisions are made and laws are passed. We're having an emergency meeting due to yesterday's events." Once they got to the one door, he then stopped and turned around. "Alright, listen carefully. The Council already isn't going to happy that I have you all along with me, so I'm going to do the best I can to explain. But, they cannot know why you're truly with me, so I suggest you say nothing unless they address you personally. Is that understood?"

"Yes," the three of them said. Leon then turned around and opened the door. The inside room contained many windows, allowing much light to pour in. There were paintings around the room as well as art on the ceiling and the sides of the room. In the middle of the room stood a rather long table, which held eight chairs.

There were people sitting in seven of those chairs and quickly had their eyes on the three trainers. "Okay, now that we're all here, let's get this meeting underway," Leon said, sitting down and putting on his reading glasses to look at the documents in front of him.

"Your majesty, I hope you have good reason as to why these teenagers are here," one of the councilmen said.

"Oh, I didn't already mention it?" Leon asked. "This is Ash, Dawn, and Brock, my new representatives." He then looked over and saw that the three of them were still standing. He then looked over to one of the servants in the room. "Excuse me, but I think our guests need somewhere to sit." The servant then nodded and quickly left and came back with a bunch of chairs. "Please, take a seat," Leon then said. "Now, to introduce you to the Council. This is Tyranus, the chief councilmen and in charge of the city's treasury, which I believe is still in good shape, right?"

"Indeed, your highness," Tyranus said with a nod.

"Sarah here is in charge of the agriculture, dealing with the food we eat, the shipping of products, and other things. Lazarus is in charge of the building projects. What you see here and elsewhere in the city has been because of his work and of those before him. Drebin is in charge of the main activities, such as PokeBlitz and is even the chairman of the sport. Fawn is our foreign nations analyst and has just recently returned from the Hoenn region."

"And I must add that the area is quite beautiful, as well as the other regions surrounding it," Fawn said.

"Indeed," Leon said. "Markus here is charge of the city's defenses and helps play part whether we go to war or not."

"The king usually makes the final decision," Markus explained.

"And finally, there is Vasquard, who you've already met. He is the commanding officer of the military and has been my most supporting figure since taking the throne."

"My duty is to serve, your highness," Vasquard said, bowing slightly.

"Now that we've all been introduced, we can finally get started," Leon said. "Obviously, the recent attack proves that we are under a huge threat. The question is, how do we respond? Vasquard, since this is more of a military situation, I'll let you say first what you think should be done."

"Well, it's rather obvious that this is situation is far more critical than what some might think," Vasquard said. "Yes, the attack was rather minor and could've been worse, but I fear this is far from over. I think Zion as we speak is mustering all the forces it can find and will try to take us out with one sweep. If we do not find a way quickly, this very well could be the end of Cerenia and her people."

"Fawn, while you were last in Hoenn, did you happen to see if we could get any aid?" Leon asked.

"The most they have is their police force," Fawn said. "Of course, they could send in supplies, but that could take up to a day at least and chances of them making it can sometimes be slim."

"Unless, we take the fight to them," Drebin suggested. "If we attack them on their turf, we could have the element of surprise."

"We don't even know how many of them are there," Lazarus said. "We could be easily walking into a trap."

"Right, and the main target is Zion," Tyranus said. "As long as it lives, this situation will never end. If we go there, Zion must be destroyed!"

"Easy Tyranus," Leon said. "Going there without a plan will leave us all dead. I am currently working on a way that we could end this situation altogether." He then took a glance over to where Ash, Dawn, and Brock were. "Of course, I still need some time to get this idea fully worked out. But, what we have to decide is what we're going to do for the time being."

"Well, I think Vasquard and Markus would agree with me when I say that all non-active soldiers need to be put on active duty," Sarah said.

"Of course," Vasquard said.

"Not to mention this is a rather large island," Markus said. "The city is the most important but there's always the chance they could attack from different sides. That forest is so large that there could be an army there lying in wait, and not even the Pokemon there would be able to stop them. We'll have to deploy some troops into the outside parts of the forest."

"Are you crazy!?" Lazarus almost yelled. "If there are demons in the forest they could very easily corrupt the Pokemon that live there and turn them against us. No one would be able to venture into those woods then since it would be a deathtrap."

"It was just an idea..." Markus muttered.

"Wait a minute, what about you three?" Tyranus asked Ash, Dawn, and Brock. "Surely those who are representatives of his royal majesty must have some sort of idea."

"Well, to be honest, we aren't exactly used to coming up with ideas," Ash said, smiling sheepishly.

"As for me, I'm not sure what to come up with," Brock added.

Dawn, however, sat there, deep in thought as she held Piplup in her arms. She then gasped a bit as an idea suddenly came to her. "Wait, if these so-called "demons" are planning another attack, and with larger numbers, won't that leave a large gap in their world for a certain number to sneak through?"

The Council looked at her in surprise, not only because it seemed like the perfect plan, but also because none of them had even thought of it. "You know, I think the girl may just have nailed it," Markus said.

"With a large enough force, they'll leave their defenses wide open," Lazarus said. "We could sneak in with a small force."

"It'll take more than that to defeat Zion," Vasquard said. "I think we would all know that after what happened with-" However, he stopped in mid-sentence after catching a sharp glare from Leon. "Well anyway, it will take more than that, I'm sure."

"Don't be so sure," Leon muttered low enough that no one heard. "Well, I think that will conclude our meeting for today. However, we may be one step closer to solving this situation. Councilmen, I thank you for your time." The Council then nodded and got out of their seats. "Ash, Dawn, and Brock, follow me," he then said.

"Leon," Dawn then said once they were outside the room. "Commander Vasquard was about to say something before..."

"It's nothing," Leon said. However, Dawn just gave him a look and he realized he couldn't hide it from her. "About ten years ago, there was a major battle taking place. This was when my father was still in power. We had breached the demons' garrison and were about to make the final strike. However, two soldiers who happened to be a bunch of daredevils decided to take on Zion itself by themselves. Unfortunately, it was a suicidal move as only one of them survived. But that is just another story."

"Leon, you never did mention anything about your parents..." Brock said.

Leon sighed. "No, I guess I didn't. You see, back then when I was younger, my father ruled the land as king and my mother as queen. I come from a royal bloodline of course. Anyway, about four or five years ago, my mother suddenly got sick, developed cancer. The family doctors did everything they could, but it didn't help. She only was able to last a year. My father was torn by this, and it wouldn't be long before he would pass away as well, most likely from depression, even I don't know. And, here I am now, as king and protector of this land."

"Leon, I'm so sorry," Dawn said.

"Do not worry about it," Leon said. "They are in a better place, for sure. I just wish I could do the same for my people."

"But, do you have any heirs at all?" Ash asked.

"I'm afraid not," Leon said. "I am the last surviving heir to the throne, and even my time is on the clock. We are in very dark times. But enough of that, since you will be staying here for the time being, I will have some of my servants show you to your rooms."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I do have a song coming up here, but it's main purpose is to be background music, and you'll see why soon. I had my ideas for music, but finally decided to use this song. It's a song you should know very well, called "One More Time" by Daft Punk. If you can, try finding the real long version, like six minutes or so. You will not meet him now, but soon you will be introduced to another character who plays a major role in this story, one I think you will like very much.)

* * *

The day then passed by very quickly, soon turning into night, and one other thing the city was known for was it's large population of young adults. And for them, there was nothing better to do on a late night than going to the local club, which the city had plenty of.

Eric was making his way through the city, hoping to find the same bar he had gone to ten years ago. However, as he made his way to it, he saw that the bar had been extended into the one of many local clubs. _"Great, now even my favorite bar is practically gone," _Eric thought. _"Whatever, the younger generation is getting bigger and I really need a drink."_

He then made his way towards the club, where a guard was standing. "Sorry buddy, VIP only," the guard said.

However, this did not stop Eric. "Here, maybe this will he do," he said, walking by while pressing some bills into the guard's hand.

*Inside, the place had changed a lot. There was a huge dance floor where just about everyone was, partying the night away despite the fact the city had been attacked the night before. However, he did see what appeared to be the bar section of the club and quickly walked to it, while going through the crowd.

He quickly got looks from people, but ignored them. It wouldn't be in his best interest to cause any problems. Soon, he got to the bar area and quickly took a seat at the table. "Disaronno, on the rocks," he said to the bartender, who quickly went to get his drink.

"Eric, is that you?" He turned around and saw a man about his age with blonde hair.

"Kirk? What the hell are you doing here?" Eric said, laughing as he gave his one old friend a hug.

"Well, night was becoming kind of crappy so I decided to hit the bar as usual," Kirk said. "But seeing you here now makes the night somewhat better. How have you been? Still living up in the mountains."

"Very funny," Eric said sarcastically. "As a matter of fact, I am."

"You realize you can't be seen here," Kirk said. "Even after ten years, they'll still recognize you. Actually, if you don't mind me asking... how is it?"

"It's fine," Eric said. "Nothing's happened since that day, but I know it isn't gone."

"I see," Kirk said. "So, what are you doing down here anyway?"

"Looking for someone," Eric said as he got his drink and sipped it. He then pulled out the same photo he had been carrying for so long. "This person look familiar to you?" he added, showing it to him.

"Say, isn't that-" Kirk was about to say but Eric put a hand around his mouth.

"Shut up!" he said quietly. "Yes it is, but I can't say her name outloud, especially not here. Someone's after her and I need to get to her before they do."

"And what, you think she would be here?" Kirk asked jokingly.

"I would hope not," Eric said. "I'm sure her mother wouldn't approve of that."

"True, very true," Kirk said, agreeing. "But she isn't here, is she? I thought she was still in Sinnoh?"

"Up until now she was, apparently," Eric said. "I don't know who's after her, but I have a feeling I may know why. I need to see King Leon."

"Eric, don't be a fool," Kirk said seriously. "You know what happened and what the consequences were. Leon may be a new king, but I doubt he'd be willing to pardon you."

"That's a chance I have to take," Eric said. "If he knows where she is, he can at least protect her until I find her." He then finished the rest of his drink. "Sorry Kirk, but I can't stay in one place too long. It was good to see you again though." He was about to leave but then turned back. "_Bless the Sacred Land, Cerenia._"

Kirk just smiled as Eric left, remembering the old motto used back in the day. "Still loyal to your country as always, Eric," he said.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, just so everyone knows, Kirk is what I call a "one-chapter character," meaning you won't see him again. Brian was the same way. Anyway, I decided to have a Council in this because a kingdom cannot be ruled by a king alone, meaning there's a mixture of autocracy and democracy. Well, hope the chapter wasn't too boring, I really feel I need fillers in this or else this story might come up too short, literally. So until then, good night and good luck.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	8. An Unexpected Question

(A/N: Okay, I'm practically opening up with a song this chapter. A sad one I must add, for the beginning part is going to be a little sad. Anyway, the name of the song is "Parting Forever" from Lost Odyssey.)

* * *

Chapter 8: An Unexpected Question

_"I don't fear death. I've stared it down once before and managed to get away. I guess I just wasn't lucky this time."_

_"Yuna..." Pikachu said, taking her paw, but Yuna just shook her head._

_"Don't mourn over my death, Pikachu," she said. "It's just my time. My parents have been waiting for me for awhile and I know they'll be happy to see me." She then looked to Pikachu with a serious face. "All you can do now is move on in life. Don't keep thinking about the past. Stay with the present and look to the future."_

Pikachu was then startled awake, looking side to side. He then relaxed, realizing he was still in the bedroom that Leon had provided for them.

He sighed, realizing that he had once again had that same dream. He wished that Dawn hadn't brought up Yuna again, seeing as he thought he was finally moving. However, after that happened, his thoughts once again turned to her; that was all he thought about now.

Seeing as he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep without dreaming more about her, he then got out of the position he was in on the bed and got up. Looking over, he saw Ash and Dawn, holding each other while they were sleeping. He couldn't help but smile a bit. He was happy for them, especially Ash. He knew it would've taken his closest friend awhile to get into a relationship but at least he was finally able to do it.

Now that he thought about it, Yuna was his first love as well. He himself wasn't sure whether he would be able to fall in love or not. But then again, before that, he had never encountered a female Pikachu before. At least, not one as pretty as her...

Pikachu then dropped down from the bed and walked towards the giant windowsill right next to him. Getting on it, he then stared out into the night, with the already lit city was even more lit by the full moon.

All of a sudden, one of Dawn's Pokeballs on her belt, lying next to the bed, began to shake. It then opened with a flash of light, revealing Buneary. It was one of those moments where she knew she had come out for a reason.

Seeing Pikachu at the window, she then tilted her head slightly in confusion. "Pikachu?" she then said.

"Huh? Oh, Buneary," Pikachu said, looking to her. "Sorry, just been having some trouble sleeping."

"Oh, I see," Buneary said as she went up to the windowsill next to him. She then looked out the window. "It's sure beautiful outside."

"Yeah, it is," Pikachu said, smiling a bit. He had known since the first time they met they she had a crush on him. Of course, at the time, he felt kind of awkward about it. But, as time went on, he kind of felt happy in her presence. Of course, once he met Yuna, he kind of pushed her aside, not meaning to of course. And until recently, he was starting to feel a relationship for her. Certainly a change of events in such a short amount of time.

"Look, I know something's bothering you," Buneary said. "I don't have to be a mind-reader to know that."

Pikachu sighed. "Well, if that's the case, what do you thinks bothering me?"

*"It's Yuna, isn't it?" Buneary asked. Pikachu nodded. Buneary then sighed as well. "Pikachu, you know it's not good to keep thinking to the past, she wouldn't want you to do that."

"I know, and she even told me that," Pikachu said. "But, I only knew her for a short time and I felt so much compassion, so much love for her. Maybe she just wasn't the one for me."

All of a sudden, he felt a pair of arms go around his neck. He then turned around and saw that Buneary was hugging him. "Pikachu, I promise you that you will find the one who's perfect for you one day."

"Thanks Buneary," Pikachu said, returning the hug.

After breaking it, Buneary then gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Get some sleep, alright?" she said before going back down and back into her Pokeball.

Pikachu then put a paw to his cheek and felt himself slightly blushing. _"Maybe I already have, Buneary... maybe I already have..."

* * *

_The next day, in the mid-morning, the streets were busy as people, buses, shuttles, and other types of aircraft went all over the city. While all of this was going on, a young soldier, most likely a new recruit, was standing guard at one of the main gates.

_"Sheesh, at the way this is going, the city will soon cover the entire island," _he thought to himself. Each year, the city came up with new building projects, but were only to expand on limited territory due to people's protests against destroying the habitats of the Pokemon that lived in the northern parts.

All of a sudden, the soldier felt a hand over his mouth and was dragged to an empty alleyway. He tried to yell, but the person who grabbed him quickly said, "Quiet, I am not your enemy."

The person then let him go and the soldier saw that it was a man who was taller than him and a lot bigger. He had on a scarf to conceal his face. Also, next to him stood a Ninetales. "What do you want?" the soldier asked.

"I want to know what the king has been up to," the man said.

"Why? That's only for high authorities to know and-" he then stopped as the Ninetales then started growling, showing it's fangs.

"You were saying?" the man asked.

"The king had an emergency meeting with the Council yesterday," the soldier said, trying to not look at the Pokemon.

"And was there anyone else there by chance? A young girl?" the man then asked.

"I uh- yes! There was a girl, along with two other guys," the soldier stammered.

"And what did she look like? Tell me!" the man then asked.

"I-I don't remember!" the soldier said, afraid to even glance at the Pokemon, who was giving him a death stare. "Perhaps... blue hair maybe!? Good shape?"

"Good enough," the man said. "You may return to your post." The soldier then walked away, shaken up with what just had happened. "Just as I feared," the man said, who removed his scarf, revealing himself to be Eric.

**Flashback**

_Eric was sitting in bed in the hotel he was staying in for the night. The very same Ninetales was sitting next to him on the floor. All of a sudden, the Ninetales then began to shake suddenly and it's eyes had changed color slightly._

_"Eric, can you hear me?" the Pokemon then said._

_"Mesprit? What is it?" Eric asked._

_"I found out more information," Mesprit said._

_"About Dawn?" Eric asked._

_Mesprit nodded. "She is currently at the palace, sleeping. Tomorrow is your best chance of catching up to her. But you'll have to hurry, I fear that the dark presence I had felt before is in the castle along with her."_

_"No, it's not possible..." Eric said. He then looked back to the Pokemon. "Thank you for this information, Mesprit."_

Eric then looked down to the Ninetales. "Come on Tadashi, we have to hurry!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Dawn woke up to someone's lips against hers. Seeing that it was Ash, she instantly relaxed. "Morning," Ash then said.

"Morning," Dawn said as she got up and stretched. "I swear, my mom is never going to believe what's been going on."

"Let's see, getting invited to a party in a far-out city, meeting the king face-to-face, being attacked by demons, and being invited to sleep in the palace," Ash said, counting off the list with his fingers. "Yeah, I probably wouldn't either if I wasn't here."

"Very funny," Dawn said sarcastically as she playfully punched Ash's shoulder. She then noticed Pikachu curled up sleeping near the end of the bed. She then smiled. "He's still sleeping," she said.

"Yeah," Ash said. "At least now he actually looks like he's sleeping normally."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"I'll explain outside," Ash said, nodding towards the door. They then got up and went to where the main bathroom was. Once closing the door, Ash continued. "After what happened with Jubilife and such, that's when I noticed a change in Pikachu. He seemed rather restless at night, tossing and turning and such. Every morning, he would look so dead that I had to keep him rested since he seemed in no shape for training, and I also think he feels guilty about that. Up until now, Pikachu was in such a wreck."

"That's terrible," Dawn said. "And I know why too. I just wish the whole thing had never happened."

"I think all of us wish it didn't happen," Ash said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "But what's done is done."

"Right," Dawn said then.

All of a sudden, the bathroom door opened and Brock was there. Seeing the two, he then had a look of surprise. "Sorry guys, hope I wasn't interrupting anything..."

Both Ash and Dawn then blushed. "No Brock, we were just talking, that's all," Ash said.

"Honestly, we were," Dawn said.

Brock just smiled while shaking his head. "Sure..." he said, even though he knew they were telling the truth, and then closed the door.

"Okay, we need to stop meeting together in private areas," Ash said.

"Agreed," Dawn replied.

They soon got dressed and were ready to go, but-

"Where should we go?" Dawn asked.

"Maybe we need to wait until someone calls us?" Brock suggested.

And sure enough, someone did as a knock came to the door. Opening it, there stood one of the many servants of the palace. "The king requests your presence in the library," the servant said.

As soon as he left, the three then made their way down to the library, where Leon was, looking at some documents with a pen in his hand. Looking up and seeing the three, he then smiled. "Morning," he said. "I take it you had a good night's sleep?"

"Yes, very," the three of them said at once.

"Good, it's important that guests- I mean my "representatives" enjoy themselves," Leon said with a wink.

"So, do we need to help you with something?" Dawn asked.

"Oh no. You see, I have been spending time reading that prophecy," Leon said. "Well, while I've not been signing countless documents and bills and all that. Anyway, I think I might have worked out a part of the prophecy."

"What's that?" Ash asked.

Leon then looked to Dawn, but had a look of uneasiness on his face. "Well, you see, it's something you may not be able to understand fully." He then walked up to Dawn and knelt in front of her. "Dawn, I know we've only known each other for a short time, but I feel that this is only for the best." He then took out a box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing a silver ring. "Dawn Berlitz, will you marry me?"

* * *

(A/N: WHOA! Major cliffhanger there XD. Surprised? Well, you'll find out next chapter what that's all about. I felt like I needed to split this part into two chapters or else I would be writing a whole lot more. Anyway, sorry if I ended up pissing anyone off because of that but I assure you the next chapter will be up sometime soon, depending on my schedule. Until then, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME IN MY SLEEP :/.)


	9. Dark Secrets Revealed

(A/N: Hmm, I wonder where I got the title from? XD July 15th, can't wait! Anyway, I realize this will spoil it, but I have a song here to start things off. It's called "My Father's Murderer" from Final Fantasy X. By the way, sorry for the long wait!)

* * *

Chapter 9: Dark Secrets Revealed

Dawn was just as shocked as the others once the question was asked. "...Excuse me?" she said.

"Dawn, listen to me," Leon said, taking her hand. "Don't you see? It's what the prophecy says... _"United in Love..."_-"

"The Prophecy!?" Dawn interrupted. "What does it have to do with me?"

"Look, your father would-" Leon began to say.

"My father!?" Dawn said, her face blushing in anger. "What the hell does my father have to do with this? You don't even know who or what my father was!"

"Oh, is that so?" Leon said, glaring at her. Ash and Brock both decided it was best to stay out of this for the time being.

"How dare you even bring my father into this!?" Dawn said, now furious. "My father left me when I was a little girl and I don't even know if he's dead or not and I may never will! Do you have any idea what that's like for me?"

"Do you think that's bad?" Leon said, now getting angry himself. "Unlike you, I had to watch my father before my very eyes, and not only that, but be the one who had taken his life!"

There was a sudden silence. *"You... murdered your father?" Dawn asked, eyes wide open in shock.

Leon turned away with a frown on his face. "After mother died, my father... changed completely. It seemed like he had become so deranged that he did things most people thought he would never do. Soon, he started putting more money into the army, more into building projects, etc, and less for the people. While I did not support these moves, I tried to keep my opinions to myself and tried to assure all the people that my father was just in a weird phase and soon things would return to normal. But, they didn't and, unintentionally, people began to rally to my side, asking me constant questions of what I would do if I became king. My father, still deranged, no longer thought of me as a son but a political rival trying to take over." He then sighed. "Then, one night, my father had become so paranoid that he felt I needed to be get rid of completely, so he came to my room with a knife in his hand. Of course, I tried to reason with him the best I could, but he wouldn't listen and... once it got to where I could no longer be safe around him, stabbed him straight in the chest in self-defense." He then looked back to Dawn. "While my intentions were good, I still feel the weight of guilt inside me."

Dawn all of a sudden felt her feelings go from anger to pity and guilt. "Leon, I'm so sorry, I had no idea," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

However, Leon just smacked away her hand and had once again a look of anger on his face. "I do not need your pity and benevolence!" He then calmed down. "Dawn, please try to understand that I am doing this not just for myself, but for my people, and for the world."

"I'm sorry Leon," Dawn said. "But marriage is between two people who love each other. And the one I love is Ash."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, something big is about to come into action. The song I have here is called "The Fight With Seymour" by The Black Mages. If you had read the prequel, I used the original song in that one but this one is different, somewhat.)

* * *

"Very well," Leon said. He then took out a Pokeball. "Then I guess I'll have to use other means then."

"Hold on Leon," Ash said, who had taken out a Pokeball as well. "If you want Dawn, you'll have to go through me first."

"And me," Brock said, who had taken out a Pokeball as well.

"Ash... Brock..." Dawn started to say.

"Don't worry Dawn," Ash said.

"Just leave this to us," Brock said.

*Leon just chuckled. "Such conceit," he said. "However, if that's the case, then I shall battle you then. But just realize I beat you once before, and I could easily do it again!" He then took out two Pokeballs. "Arcanine, Dragonite, it's time we show these trainers the superiority they are facing against." There were two flashes of light and Arcanine and Dragonite appeared.

"I figured I'd be seeing Arcanine again," Ash said, gritting his teeth. He looked to Pikachu, knowing he wanted payback, but Arcanine was just too strong. "Alright Buizel, I choose you!" There was a flash of light and Buizel appeared, ready for battle.

"Croagunk, Buizel needs your help!" Brock said, throwing out a Pokeball. There was another flash of light and Croagunk appeared right next to Buizel.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Leon said, smirking. "Now, Arcanine, use Flamethrower on Buizel, and Dragonite, use Hyper Beam on Croagunk !"

Both complied, sending both powerful attacks right at Buizel and Croagunk. Both dodged them easily, but obviously knew this was just a test. "What do you say Brock, we'll take care of Arcanine and you two can take care of Dragonite?" Ash asked.

"Sounds good to me," Brock said.

"Alright, Buizel, use Aqua Jet on Arcanine," Ash said.

"Croagunk, use Poison Jab on Dragonite!" Brock said. The two Pokemon then charged, Buizel being engulfed in a jet-stream of water, and Croagunk with his one claw glowing purple.

"You fools," Leon said. "Arcanine, use Fire Blast and Dragonite, use Dragon Rage!" Arcanine then shot out a flame taking the shape of the kanjī, and Dragonite unleashed a large orb of yellow energy.

The kanjī flame hit Buizel and, surprisingly, knocked him back into one of the bookshelves, but Buizel used it to send himself back forward, appearing not to be harmed by the attack. Still, it was no doubt Arcanine was very strong indeed. Croagunk, meanwhile, met Dragonite's attack head-on and tried to counter it with Poison Jab, but the attack proved to be too strong as well and Croagunk was sent back, although unharmed.

"If you seriously want to defeat me, you'll have to do better than that," Leon said. "Or else you'll end up just like Pikachu." Pikachu just gave him a dark look after that comment.

"You'll find that Buizel is full of surprises," Ash said, while Buizel nodded in agreement.

"Croagunk is full of even more," Brock added.

"Now Buizel, use Water Pulse!" Ash said. Buizel then sent a large orb of energy straight at Arcanine. The attack proved to be quite powerful as it sent Arcanine flying back and crashing into one of the many bookshelves.

"What the-!?" Leon almost yelled, taken by surprise.

"Like I said, Buizel is full of surprises," Ash said.

"How dare you!?" Leon yelled. "Arcanine, don't let these mediocre trainers beat you so easily!" However, whether it was from the attack or from the impact of hitting the bookshelf, Arcanine was knocked out cold. "Damn it!" Leon then said, calling back Arcanine. "You will pay for what you did to Arcanine! Dragonite, use Dragon Rage once more, full power!" Dragonite was about to summon the attack, however it was then blasted back by what looked like Dark Pulse. "What the-?" Leon turned to his right and there at the doorway stood a man and a Ninetales.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I have another song here from the movie "Princess Mononoke." The song is "The Furies" by Joe Hisaishi.)

* * *

*"I hope I'm not interrupting anything here," the man said, walking towards them.

"Ah, if it isn't the long-forgotten Sir Eric," Leon said. "Ten years it's been since you've set foot in these city walls. What may I ask is the reason for your... unexpected visit?"

"Well, it's funny that you ask that," Eric said, now standing in front of Ash, Dawn, and Brock. "You see, I was going to come to you because there was someone I needed to find. But, it looks like I already have." He then gave the three trainers a quick wink. "Now, if you don't mind-"

"Oh, but I do," Leon said. All of a sudden, the doors on the top balconies opened and soldiers armed with crossbows entered the library and pointed them straight at the four of them. "You see, I'm afraid I'm going to need Dawn's cooperation to help defeat Zion once and for all."

Eric just laughed. "You? Defeat Zion? Don't make me laugh. I know plenty of people more worthy than you who could fulfill that deed."

It was easy to tell that Leon took insult to that. "I hope you haven't forgotten as to why you were banished from this city ten years ago, Eric. By law, I can have you executed."

"Then by all means, fire away," Eric said, lifting up his arms, causing slight confusion between the three trainers.

Leon just smirked. "Don't think that because of what you are makes you invincible. But since you requested it, I'll make sure to make your death fast and painless as possible." The soldiers then raised their weapons, each targeted straight at Eric's heart.

Then, when the moment seemed right, Eric then yelled out, "Now Tadashi!" All of a sudden, the four trainers disappeared into thin air.

Leon just gave a slight chuckle. _"That's like Eric. He always has a trick up his sleeve for any situation."

* * *

_(A/N: Now, we're getting to some good stuff. Yes, I have another song here, but I think you'll like it and it fits the situation. It's called "Escape!" from Lost Odyssey.)

* * *

The four of them then appeared in what looked like a hangar area. *"Ah, the main hangar. Good thinking, Tadashi!" He then turned to the others. "We have to hurry and get you all somewhere safe. Quickly, follow me before anyone shows up!"

"But-" Ash was about to say.

"I'll explain later, hurry!" Eric said. Ash, Dawn, and Brock then followed him to one of the ships in the hangar. Getting inside, Eric then said, "You might want to buckle up. This could be a wild ride." After all buckling up, Eric then started up the ship and it quickly rose form the ground. Eric frowned once seeing the closed bay doors, but quickly fixed the problem as he sent of the missiles the ship carried right at it, blowing a large hole. Then, he set to full thrusters and the ship then flew straight out of the hangar and into the middle of the city.

However, it wasn't long before Dawn ended up crying out, "We're being followed!" And sure enough, two other ships flew out of the hangar in pursuit.

"Hold on, I'll try to lose them!" Eric called back. He then took a sharp turn to the left, quickly leaving the city and into the wilderness. However, the two other ships didn't hesitate to follow. Knowing getting too close to the forest was too dangerous, Eric had not choice but to fly above it, making him an easy target.

All of a sudden, one of the ships following them then fired a missile. Eric tried his best to dodge it, but it still managed to clip off their left wing. "Damn it," Eric said. "Shoot, we're gonna have to prepare for a crash landing. Hold on tight to something!"

Eric then glided the ship down to the closest open area he could find. Hitting the ground, the ship then dragged across it until finally they came to a stop. However, the impact inside was more noticeable.

"Pikachu, Dawn, Brock, are you okay?" Ash asked his three friends.

"Pikapi," Pikachu said, confirming that he was alright.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Brock said.

"I'm fine as well," Dawn said. "Are you alright, Ash?"

"Yeah," Ash said.

Eric whistled outloud and looked to Tadashi who was sitting in the passenger seat. "Well Tadashi, I can see it's been a _long _time since my flying days." He then looked to the others. "Sorry about the unfortunate landing, but at least they didn't blow us out of the sky. Anyway, we had better hurry back to my home, we'll be safe there."

Eric then opened up the door on the side and looked outside. Luckily, they managed to just not hit any trees, especially the ones right in front of them. Ash, Dawn, and Brock then got out as well and gaped in surprise. The forest, which they had never seen before, was rather large and lush, but beautiful at the same time.

Tadashi then stood still for a moment and then motioned to Eric, pointing to the direction in front of them. "Good, we can't be too far then," Eric said. "Come on, we should be able to make it back before dusk."

"Wait a minute. Just wait one minute!" Dawn said suddenly. She then looked at Eric angrily. "I'm not going to move one more step until I find out what is going on and who you are!"

* * *

(A/N: Okay, this will be the last song of the chapter. This is another song from PM and it is called "Lady Eboshi." Not the best title for this, but the song seems to work fine.)

* * *

*Eric just smiled, looking at her. "I had a feeling you wouldn't recognize me, Dawn. It has been ten years after all. At that point, you were still a young girl, but boy do you still have that personality I know so well."

Dawn then gasped, both from realizing he knew who she was, but also because... he seemed very familiar. "Wait a minute... no it can't be," she then said. She then took a step towards him, looking him straight in the eyes. Her eyes then widened in surprise. "Eric... is that you?"

Eric just laughed. "See? I knew you would recognize me sooner or later. It's good to see you again, Dawn."

Dawn looked at him in surprise at first, but then smiled and then started to laugh as she went up to him and gave him a hug. Ash and Brock, however, were very confused. "Dawn, you this person?" Ash asked.

"Of course she does," Eric said. "Can't you tell? Well, I suppose Dawn never really got the chance to tell you about me." He then smiled. "I'm Dawn's godfather."

* * *

(A/N: FINALLY, I got this chapter done. Took me long enough. Anyway, now you finally know how Eric is connected to Dawn. I'm sure you're surprised, at least a little bit. Again, sorry again about the long wait.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	10. Fitting the Pieces Together

(A/N: Alright, again I'm starting a chapter with a song. Woot. The name of this particular song is called "The Mysterious Machine Of the Demons" from Lost Odyssey. Another evil theme.)

* * *

Chapter 10: Fitting The Pieces Together

*"So, they happen to have stolen one of the ships out of the hangar," Leon said. "That's not surprising at all."

"Forgive us, my lord," one of the many soldiers kneeling in front of them said. "We didn't think that the Pokemon would transport them."

"All is forgiven," Leon said. They were sitting in the throne room of the palace. "You know me well enough that I do not punish people for small things, unlike my father." He was silent for a minute. "But, what matters now is that we must find them before it is too late."

All of a sudden, the doors leading out of the room opened and another soldier came running through. "Your majesty," the soldier said, coming up to Leon. "I've just gotten reports that the ship Sir Eric stole was shot down and crashed somewhere in the forest."

"And...?" Leon said. "Was there an explosion or not?"

"No, my lord!" the soldier said quickly. "One of the wings was shot off by a missile but most likely it couldn't have blown up from the impact."

_"And those ships are expensive to make," _Leon thought, sighing. "Very well," he then said, getting up from his throne. "I want two air battalions to search from the skies, and once they are found, set in a transport of troops to keep them... _occupied_." He then thought about it for a second. "Oh yes, and also notify me and make sure my shuttle is ready. We may have an unexpected guest coming back with us."

"Yes my lord," the soldier said, and he and the rest of them quickly left the room.

_"Let's just hope it's quick," _Leon thought. _"The forest can be dangerous at night, especially during these times. I can't hide the fact that I care about the girl and her safety, even though it seems like I'm just using her. She's more important than anything right now in this world..."

* * *

_"Godfather?" Ash asked. "Dawn, you didn't tell us you had a godfather?"

"Didn't I?" Dawn said, smiling sheepishly. "Well, I didn't think it was quite that important." Dawn then saw Eric and Tadashi hunch their shoulders in sadness. "Oh Eric, I didn't mean it like that! Honestly!" Dawn said, putting a hand on his shoulder, while Piplup, who was on her head, sweatdropped slightly.

"It's fine," Eric said, laughing. "While we chat, we may as well continue on home, it might take awhile and it's best not to be out at night."

"You live out here?" Brock asked.

"I do," Eric said. "Surprising even to me, it's a lot nicer than being in a city, and a lot quieter too. But anyway, let's get moving."

It would've seemed weird that they were following a man they just met, but if he's Dawn's family, it had to be alright then. "So, you're following in your mother's footsteps as a coordinator? And entering the Sinnoh Grand Festival?" Eric asked Dawn as they continued walking. "Can't say I'm surprised. You're much like your mother in every way."

Dawn laughed. "Yeah I suppose."

"And Ash, you're planning on competing in the Sinnoh League and to become a Pokemon Master?"

"Yep," Ash said.

"And Brock, you want to become a great Pokemon breeder?" Eric said.

"That's what I have my eyes set on," Brock replied.

"Interesting," Eric said. "Now I can see why you're friends with Dawn. She finds her friends well. Even after ten years, I still know her rather well."

Dawn then looked back to Eric. "But where have you been? I haven't seen you in so long."

"I know," Eric said. "Ten years is a long time. I've... been busy with things around here, taking care of the Pokemon I have and such. I guess I never really told you that I was born and raised in Cerenia City?"

"You were?" Dawn said. "But... does that mean my father-?"

"Yep, your father was born and raised here too," Eric said. He then smiled. "I always remember him telling me how he met your mother while visiting the Sinnoh region. Quite a funny story actually."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I have two songs here, one that's coming up now, and one that will show up later. The song I have for right now is called "Epsylon Range" from Lost Odyssey. It's a pretty cool song, at least I think so. The other, which will come up soon, is called "Kodamas" from the Princess Mononoke Soundtrack.)

* * *

"Eric, I have to be ask you this, and please tell me the truth," Dawn said, being serious now. "Is my dad still alive?"

Eric sighed. He hoped that she wouldn't have asked that question so quickly. "If you want me to be honest Dawn, then yes, he is."

"I see," Dawn said sadly. "I figured that he wasn't, seeing as he hasn't been home in so long. And I'm guessing mom knew all along as well, and just didn't tell me?"

"Yeah," Eric said.

Dawn sighed. "Well, it doesn't affect me as much now as it did before, so I'll be fine." A curious thought then went through her mind. "So, how long have you had known my father?"

Eric just chuckled. "Funny you ask that. Oh, it was about thirty years ago when I first met your dad. At that point, not all what you saw in Cerenia City existed at that point. We practically lived right next to each other when we were younger. Oh yes, once we first met, we were practically friends for life. *Once we got older, we would always compete against each other, whether it was battling, training, etc. Oh yeah, those were the good old days. Now that I think about it, he was almost like you Ash, never backing from a challenge."

"Really?" Ash said. "Wow, guess it would've been cool to meet him."

"Yeah, I remember the one time we were in a PokeRinger competition," Eric continued. "Boy, was that interesting."

**Flashback**

"_I don't know Eric," a boy about eighteen said. "Your Pidgeotto against my Swellow? Could be a good match up."_

_"Oh, but my Pidgeotto has been training for this event for weeks," Eric said, who was also eighteen. "Swellow will just be another one that bites the dust. Sorry to inform you that, Jak."_

_Jak just laughed. "Oh alright, Eric. We'll see about that. Every morning at six Swellow and I get up and train for about two hours straight."_

_"Right, because your mom always tells me you sleep in until nine," Eric said grinning._

_"Alright, you got me," Jak said, grinning in return._

"As it turned out, he actually beat me," Eric said. "Personally, I think it was just luck, but oh well."

"Whatever," Dawn said, smirking at him. "Whatever you say, Eric."

Soon, they got to the edge of where the forest became more thick. "Ah, now we're getting into the main part of the forest," Eric then said. "Many Pokemon reside here." *As they continued on in, they could see that there were many Pokemon of all types; in the trees, the bushes, and around the trees. "This forest is very sacred to them," Eric explained. "They say that you can hear the actual voices of the Pokemon themselves."

"You mean they can talk?" Brock asked.

"Well, it's also said that only certain people can fully understand them," Eric said. "The forest can be strange indeed."

Ash then looked to Pikachu. "If I could understand all of what you said, Pikachu, that would be so cool." Pikachu couldn't help but smile.

"Can you understand them?" Dawn asked Eric.

"As a matter of fact, I can," Eric said. He then smiled. "They're surprised to see many humans in the forest. But don't be alarmed, they know we mean no harm."

Then, Dawn herself started to hear voices, but it couldn't be possible. "Eric, I think I can understand them as well," she said.

"You can!?" Ash and Brock both said.

"And I think I know why," Eric said. "You see, your father, who would sometimes come through here, could understand them as well, which means it was possibly carried down." He then smiled. "What are they saying, Dawn?"

Dawn listened for a couple seconds. She then smiled up at Piplup. "They're wondering why a Piplup is down in the forest and not up in the mountain area." Piplup just seemed a bit confused by what that meant.

Soon, as they continued walking, they got to a rather large area where it was more condensed and darker. "Okay, here is where we need to be careful," Eric warned. "No one may have ever mentioned it to you before, but demons like to be in dark areas, no matter what the area is."

"Are you saying there are demons in the forest?" Ash asked.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Eric said. "Normally, the Pokemon here can fend them off in such situations, but they fear them as well. If there really are demons in the forest, this could be bad for Cerenia."

"How so?" Brock asked.

"Cerenia has been locked tight in a war against the demons for decades, almost centuries," Eric explained. What I fear is that in their next attack, they may attack from both sides, closing in Cerenia City. Normally, in the past, we would win easily, mostly due to our weapon superiority, even when we were outnumbered, which means you cannot win a battle by numbers alone. But, knowing Zion, it will amass a grand army against us for one last strike."

Finally, they got through a clearing and the area became brighter. "Ah good, and no encounters either," Eric said. "Since we're here, let's take a breather." The others couldn't help but agree as they sat down in the soft grass.

"So Eric, do you know exactly what Zion is and where it came from?" Brock asked.

"There... are plenty of stories about how Zion came into existence," Eric said. "But there's one most people know. The story of Tamamo-no-Mae."

"Tamamo-no-Mae?" the three trainers said.

"Yes, legend has it that she was a beautiful young woman, who lived in a large kingdom, about twenty years old, and was brilliant and intelligent. People loved her, but they didn't know her dark secret, that she was not really a young woman but an evil spirit that took the form of a Ninetales. Her plan was to take over the kingdom and did this by trying to kill the king. But, her plan failed as she was soon found out, and was forced to flee. Then, realizing that if she couldn't take the kingdom, decided to destroy it all and was able to do so. After that, Tamamo-no-Mae became the terror of an entire nation, and was often seen terrorizing local villages, where this story comes in, the story of a young man named San."

* * *

(A/N: Hmm, this will be a first, putting a song in a flashback/story. By the way, the whole Tamamo-no-Mae thing is based on Japanese Mythology, so I didn't make it up, even though I changed it up a bit. Now, the song I have here is called "The Demon God" from Princess Mononoke and is one of my favorite songs from the soundtrack.)

* * *

_The sun was setting peacefully over the village of Dadenia. San was going home while riding his faithful Dodrio and was accompanied by his loyal Ninetales, Takeshi. "Another successful day has ended," San then said. _

_All of a sudden, two boys ran up to him. "San, we have a message from Ryuu," one of the boys said._

_"Oh? And what is that?" San asked._

_"He says he wants to meet you up at the watch-post," the other boy said. "He also says that there might be something wrong."_

_"I see," San said. "Very well, but you two make sure to head back to the village." After the two boys left, he then looked to Takeshi. "We better check this out." Then, quickly, they headed towards the watch-post, which was south of the village. Once he got there, he got off his Dodrio and climbed up the ladder. However, he then stopped once he heard a rustle in the bushes by the forest that bordered with the land. Looking closer, he saw what appeared to be a faint shadow, before it moved again. "Something's there," he then said, continuing up the ladder. Once he got up there, he then saw Ryuu, who was staring at the forest. *"Ryuu, did you see something?" San asked._

_"Yes, I don't think it's human," Ryuu said, continuing to look. "There! I saw it again."_

_San then took out his bow and arrow and aimed it carefully, waiting while Takeshi below started to growl. The shadow then began to move again and this time, it was starting to come out of the forest. Once it reached the light, San and Ryuu could both see that it was definitely not human, but some sort of animal. Looking closer, they could see that it didn't seem normal as it was covered with a strange fire-like glow and had gleaming red eyes._

_"It's some sort of demon!" Ryuu cried out._

_"No, it's Tamamo-no-Mae," San said calmly._

_The creature then spotted Dodrio and Takeshi, and quickly started to run towards it. "Dodrio, get out of there!" San yelled, but Dodrio was paralyzed with fear. San then took the arrow he had and shot it next to Dodrio, causing it to jump and quickly run away. However, the creature then ran and crashed into the watch-tower, causing it to tip over towards the forest. San then took ahold of Ryuu and jumped into one of the trees. He then saw where the evil spirit was heading next. "It's heading towards the village!" San said, as he climbed down. "I have to stop it."_

_"Be careful, San!" Ryuu said in the trees. "That thing is cursed, don't let it touch you!"_

_San then whistled to his Dodrio, and hopped on as soon as it came to him. "Come on Takeshi!" he then said, taking off and giving chase to the large nine-tailed fox. Once getting close to it, he then yelled. "Evil spirit, whatever evil deed you possess, I command you to leave our village alone!" The creature, in response, then sent out one of it's tails to knock San off, but missed although it grazed San's arm, causing a huge burning sensation throughout his arm. _

_However, it did not stop San as he pulled out his bow, took aim, and fired an arrow right at the creature. It howled in pain as it tripped and fell to the ground. "Now Takeshi!" Takeshi then jumped right on the creature, pinning it down. The creature tried to do whatever it could, but Takeshi held his ground. Since Ninetales were believed to be guardians and able to ward off evil spirits, he was not affected. "Tamamo-no-Mae, your days of terror are at an end!" San said. "I hereby banish you to the spirit realm where you shall be imprisoned and rot for all eternity!" The creature gave one final screech before disappearing into thin air._

_After that, San then fell to his knees, his arm still giving him pain. Takeshi went over to him and whined slightly. "Do not worry, Takeshi," San said. "I'm sure there's a way to get rid of this curse..."_

"But, unfortunately, he could not find a cure, and soon the curse he had endured made him into what would soon become Zion," Eric said.

"Wow, its such a sad story," Dawn said.

"Wait, so did the evil spirit get sent away for good?" Ash asked.

"Although Tamamo-no-Mae was sent away, part of her was passed on to San," Eric said. "So in essence, she still lives."

"To this day?" Brock asked. Eric nodded.

"Wait," Dawn then said. "The prophecy said that only the child of Zion, united in love, can defeat it. Leon thought I was the one who could do it, but that can't be right."

"Well, Leon doesn't quite know as much as I do," Eric said. "But then again, he's still young." He then got up. "I have a feeling the chances of us making back to my home are now slim to none. We better keep walking till we find a nice place to set up camp and then head out again in the morning. So we better get moving again."

And with that, the four trainers then set off again north, one step closer to solving this mystery.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, so now you all understand a little bit better of what's going on here. You don't know everything because I like to give out a little at a time XD. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and my little side-story there.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	11. Fear Grows

Chapter 11: Fear Grows

Night was starting to take over as the four trainers found themselves in a small meadow. "Hm, I guess this will do," Eric said. "We're not going to get much farther tonight anyway, so I guess we will rest here for the night."

"Well, this would be nothing new to us," Ash said. "We're always sleeping outside in the wild."

"The sounds of the forest can be rather soothing," Brock added.

"Very much so," Eric said. He then looked to Dawn and saw she was lost in thought. "Dawn? Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Dawn said, snapping out of it. "Oh, yeah I'm fine." She then realized he wanted to know what's wrong. "Eric, I'm sorry to ask you this, but I really must know: how did my father die?"

Eric just froze for a second as the words reached his ears. "Dawn, I-"

But Dawn took his hands and looked at him with a pleading look. "Eric, please, you have to tell me. It's only fair that you do."

Eric sighed. "Very well, but I guess I better explain things from the start. Your father and I, as we got older, realized that we couldn't just spend all our lives training and competing with Pokemon. We loved our Pokemon, of course, but realized we needed something better to do in life. That's when we decided to join the Royal Army here in Cerenia City."

"Royal Army?" Ash asked.

"Yep," Eric said. He then got into attention and gave a salute. "Sir Eric Samuel, member of the 37th Division of the Royal Army and part of the 63rd Royal Air Force Division." He then smiled. "Well, _was_, but I'll explain that later. Anyway, Jak and I were both part of the 37th. It was tough, but we managed to pull through. Soon, we were put into a real battle. The demons were attacking from the southeast via some sort of portal. I suspect now that the same one they've always used. However, we actually managed to push them back to their homeworld, although we lost many good men. Jak then decided to end this all, we had to kill Zion. He then had the idea of taking it on by himself. Now, normally, I wouldn't be crazy enough to do such a thing, but seeing as he was my friend, I couldn't leave him behind, so I tagged along with him."

**Flashback**

_"Listen Eric, I've been thinking..." Jak started to say. It was quiet for once, with no apparent sounds of fighting in the area. It was also rather dark as well._

_"What's up, Jak?" Eric asked._

_"Look, I know we've made it far into the enemy's heartland but we've already lost plenty of good men," Jak said. "I know it sounds crazy, but I feel only one person can defeat Zion once and for all."_

_"What, and you think that'll be you?" Eric said jokingly. He then saw that Jak was serious. "Wait, you're kidding right?"_

_"Have I ever kidded you before, Eric?" Jak asked._

_"Jak, this is crazy!" Eric said. "You can't take on Zion by yourself! You won't last a second."_

_"Well, that's why you're coming with me," Jak said, smiling._

_"That's not even funny, Jak..." Eric said._

"But, as it turned out, once we got near where Zion resided, Jak then had a change of heart," Eric said. "As if he knew what was going to happen, he then told me to go back with the other troops, and tell them to go back to our own world, for he was going to take on Zion himself. However, he made sure before he left to give me one thing: Tadashi's Pokeball."

"Wait, are you saying-" Dawn was about to say.

"Yep, Tadashi was once Jak's," Eric said, looking at the fox Pokemon. "As a matter of fact, there's a possibility he may have come from the forest himself. Jak told me the story how he found him."

* * *

(A/N: Wow, I have a lot of flashbacks in this story, but who cares? Anyway, this one I decided to put a song in. This song is "Princess Mononoke Theme Song," from the already mentioned movie. Now, there's the vocal version, which is this one, and the instrumental version, which will be used later in the chapter, so keep that in mind.)

* * *

**Flashback**

_Jak was walking through the forest, trying to clear his thoughts. *All of a sudden, he heard a cry, one that sounded like one was in pain. He then followed the cries, until he found himself in a clearing. There, ahead of him, laid a Vulpix which appeared to be in pain. Getting closer to it, Jak saw that it looked beat up, as if attacked by something. _

_Jak realized the Pokemon needed medical attention. As he got closer to it, it looked up at him, but instead of anger, as he would've thought, he only saw fear in it's eyes. "Don't worry, I don't want to hurt you,"Jak then said. "You look like you've been through enough as is." He then picked up the Pokemon, but it did not squirm, but only looked at him. Jak then realized it was a male. "A male Vulpix, huh?" Jak said, smiling. Males were not as common to see as females. "Say, once we get you all healed up, you want to come live with me? We could become the best of friends."_

_The Vulpix then laughed, obviously interested in taking that offer. "You know, I guess I should give you a name as well, but what?" He then thought about it for a minute. Then it came to him. "Tadashi. Yes, I shall name you Tadashi and we will become the best of friends."_

"Truth was, Tadashi was Jak's first Pokemon since he was rather young at the time," Eric said. He then looked to Tadashi, now a Ninetales. "Jak took real good care of you, didn't he?" Tadashi nodded.

"Did he ever say what happened with Tadashi?" Ash asked.

"Well, it seems like at the time some of the Pokemon in the forest treated him badly," Eric said. "Probably because they didn't think he belonged there. But, ironically, Tadashi has been living in this area for quite awhile, looking after it. But you know, I was thinking about that story before, and I have a feeling that Ninetales may be a key in all of this."

"How?" Brock asked.

"You see, Ninetales were believed back in the old days to be guardians, or warders of evil spirits," Eric explained. "So I think Tadashi plays a big role in all of this." He then yawned. "Well, it's probably best we get some sleep. We can get up early and continue on our way. But we'll have to be careful. I know for a fact Leon has sent people in search of us." So, the four then each found themselves a comfy spot to sit down and soon were fast asleep. Well, except for one.

Dawn, once again, found herself not able to fall asleep. So much has occurred in so little time. Maybe it might be a bad idea, but perhaps if she took a small walk to get her thoughts cleared up, she could then finally get some sleep. She then got up and was about to go but-

"Taking a walk through the woods, are we?" a low and somewhat menacing voice then said. Dawn looked behind her but saw no one was there, at least no one awake. Then, she saw that the only one awake was Tadashi, who was looking straight at her.

"Tadashi, was that you?" Dawn then asked, going up to him. Tadashi just kept looking at her. "It was you, wasn't it?"

"You presume correctly," Tadashi said, standing up. "Yes, it was me. I hope you have good reason as to why you would go by yourself in an area you're not familiar with." He then stopped when he saw that Dawn didn't say anything. "Hmm, you seem intimidated by me, it seems. Well, I can't blame you there." He then smiled, showing off his fangs. "I'm not exactly the friendliest Pokemon you've ever seen."

Dawn then looked back at the Pokemon. "If you are on my side, then I have no reason to fear or be intimidated by you."

Tadashi laughed. "Clever girl, you are. But then again, you've only known me for a short time. So, are you really that eager to go into the forest?"

"I have some thoughts to get rid of..." Dawn said.

"Very well," Tadashi said, coming down and standing next to her. "I will accompany you then. You are my master's daughter after all."

Dawn laughed. "I thought Eric was your master now?"

"He is, but my loyalty to Jak will never die," Tadashi said. They then went into a more concentrated area of the forest. "You really have to be careful, because you never know what might be lurking in the bushes." As if on cue, they then heard a rustling nearby. "Just like that," Tadashi said, growling. "Whatever you are, come out now and show yourself!"

"You know, some Pokemon are attempting to sleep at this time of night!" a voice said. Then, a Sableye came out of the bushes. It then looked at Tadashi. "Oh, bit of course it would be you of all Pokemon!"

"Wait a minute, I can understand it," Dawn said. "Does that mean I can understand all the Pokemon here?" Tadashi nodded.

"Well obviously, or else I would just be saying my name, wouldn't I?" the Sableye said. It was apparently rather cranky. "Great, and you brought _him _along. That's just great."

"Watch it," Tadashi said, growling slightly. "You should be thankful I put my time in guarding this forest."

"Guarding it?" another voice said. "You call yourself guardian? Such conceit." Then, a Banette came out of the darkness. "And you bring a human into the forest? A human? All they're going to do is tear down our very own home and make us easy targets for the demons!" It then looked over and yelled. "Everyone! There's a human in the forest!"

Then, voices came out of nowhere. "A human, where!?" "What did you say!?" "We're doomed!" "Get it out of here!"

"Why are the Pokemon acting like this?" Dawn asked.

"They're scared," Tadashi said. "They fear for their lives since they sense Zion's power growing. And the humans aren't making it any easier for them."

"This human should leave now!" the Banette said. "It will only bring more and destroy our home since it doesn't care about any of us!"

This finally struck a nerve for Tadashi. "Enough!" Tadashi yelled, baring his fangs. "I'll bite your head off you chattering Pokemon!" He was about to charge at the Banette, which started to flee but-

"Stop Tadashi!" Dawn yelled. Tadashi just looked back at her. "Violence won't solve anything! You of all of them should know that!"

Tadashi bowed his head in shame. "You're right, Dawn. I'm sorry."

Dawn, however, smiled and bent down towards him, slightly scratching behind his ears. "Look, let's just head back, alright?" Tadashi nodded.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, last song of the chapter. As I had mentioned before, I would use the instrumental version of the "Princess Mononoke Theme Song." Well here it is. I guess you could say, more or less, that this is Tadashi's theme.)

* * *

*As they continued back, Dawn wanted to say something, but wasn't sure how to. Then, she decided to just let it out. "Tadashi, thank you, for sticking up for me back there."

"Dawn, I had known you since you were a little girl," Tadashi said. "You are my master's daughter, but you are also my friend. I wouldn't let anything happen to you." He then sighed. "These are dark days, and even I am not sure what to do now."

"Well, obviously we have to defeat Zion," Dawn said.

"Yeah... that's what we have to do," Tadashi said.

Dawn then frowned. "Tadashi, is something wrong?"

"It's nothing," the nine-tailed fox said quickly. They then got back to where they were camping. "You go ahead back to sleep, Dawn. I'm going to take some time and... look at the stars."

"Alright," Dawn said as she laid down again and was soon fast asleep.

Tadashi just looked at her and sighed. "Dark days indeed," he said. "Dawn, soon you'll finally understand what it all means." He then went over to her and laid right next to her, slightly leaning against her. "Sleep well, child." Dawn just smiled in her sleep.

* * *

(A/N: Ah yes, so you've finally met my newest OC, Tadashi. Haha, didn't think he'd talk did you? I know what you're thinking, no he's definitely not your cute friendly type. I mean, why would I have that for an awesome Pokemon like Ninetales? Anyway, hope you like him because he plays a big role in this story.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	12. Eric's Dark Secret

(A/N: Ugh, sorry for yet another long wait. Last week was rather busy for me so I could get anything started. :( But I'll see what I can done this week and hopefully this chapter won't end up taking too long. Anyway, once again I'm starting off with another song, this one called "The Wanderer of Darkness" from Lost Odyssey.)

* * *

Chapter 12: Eric's Dark Secret

As the night crept on, Pikachu was having trouble sleeping as well. Occasionally, he would drift off, but only wake up a few minutes later time after time. Seeing it as hopeless, he just laid where he was. Then, he noticed the light of the moon and got up looking at it.

He remembered when he and Yuna used to look at the stars in the sky, while holding each other, even though it had been a short time. Tonight would've been perfect for such an occasion.

_"No, I have to let her go," _Pikachu thought to himself. _"If I keep thinking of her in such a way, the pain will never go away." _"I just wish I could see her at least one more time," he then said.

"What? I've been gone for such a short time and you miss me this much already?" *Pikachu then turned around, and almost fell back in shock. There, in front of him, stood Yuna, his former love, smiling at him.

"Y-Yuna?" Pikachu stuttered. He then smiled as joy suddenly filled his heart. "Yuna!" he then cried, going up to her and giving her a hug while she laughed out loud.

"Oh Pikachu, I've missed you so much," Yuna said, still in his arms.

"I missed you too," Pikachu said. He then looked her in the eyes. "But this isn't really you, is it?"

"Well, it is and it isn't," Yuna said. "Yes, I am here, but I'm still dead." She then looked back at him. "Pikachu, it's good to see you and all, but there's another reason why I'm here."

"Does it have to do with what's been going on?" Pikachu asked.

Yuna nodded. "While I've been _gone_, Arceus gave me a certain role."

"Arceus?" Pikachu asked. "You're being serious?"

"Yes Pikachu," Yuna said. "Under Arceus, we are all his servants. And for me, he wanted me to check out the current situation on this island." She then smiled. "Can't say I'm surprised that you're all here."

"And what does Arceus think?" Pikachu asked. "What do _you _think?"

"We know what Leon wants to do," Yuna explained. "But personally, I don't think it's his own intentions."

"You think someone else is pulling the strings?" Pikachu said.

"Maybe, I can't be sure," Yuna said. She then looked over to where Dawn was, and smiled. "So, does Dawn still miss me a lot?"

"She keeps it more inside of her, but I know for sure she does," Pikachu said. He then hesitated. "Yuna, I know you once told me not to keep thinking of you once you were gone, but I can't help it. I mean, look at myself. I've lost the confidence I always had in battle, I'm inconsistent, and worst of all-"  
However, he was stopped when Yuna put a paw to his mouth, silencing him. "Pikachu, there's not a day that goes by when I don't think of you, but you have to accept the fact we are in two separate places now. Someday, we will see each other again, but until then, all I ask you is to stay strong, and never lose hope in yourself. Besides," She then smiled again. "I know there's someone else..."

"You do?" Pikachu said, hesitating a bit.

Yuna just laughed. "Oh Pikachu, don't be worried. I'm happy for you! However, I know there's one other thing you have to do."

"Yeah, there is," Pikachu said.

The wind then came in through the forest, a light but pleasant cool breeze. "Well Pikachu, I'm afraid it's time for me to go now. It was good... seeing you again." Yuna said. She smiled and then gave him a wink. "Go to her. I think she might be in for a surprise." And with that, she was gone, and everything was still.

Pikachu stood there for a second, thoughts processing in his mind. He then smiled. "You're right, Yuna." He then went over to where Dawn's Pokeballs were and pushed the button on a certain one, causing it to enlarge and open.

Out came a rather tired-looking Buneary. She opened her eyes and looked around before looking at Pikachu. "Pikachu, what's going-"

But, before she could anything more, she felt Pikachu's lips against hers and his arms around her neck. She was surprised at first, but quickly closed her eyes as she returned the kiss. The two just stood there, embracing one another under the light of the full moon.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I know it's a long night but this part is rather crucial. Anyway, before that, I have here another flashback scene. And what better song to have then a song named "Flashback?" Yes, it's a song and it's also from Lost Odyssey.)

* * *

A couple more hours passed. *While in his sleep, Eric was tossing and turning slightly, while something in his mind started to take place.

**Flashback**

_"Eric, listen to me," Jak said, close to where Zion resided. "I know I said before I wanted you with me, but if Zion can't be defeated, then I don't want to lose my friend as well."_

_"Jak, what are you saying?" Eric asked._

_"Eric, I want you to go back and tell the others to turn back," Jak said. "We've saved our home for now, and as long as we have some peace, I can be happy."_

_"And what about you?" Eric said, his emotions starting to get to him._

_"You just have to trust me, Eric," Jak said. He was about to go ahead, but stopped. Turning around to face him, he said, "Make sure Johanna is doing well... and Dawn too." He then took out a Pokeball. "The last thing I ask from you, Eric, is to take Tadashi's Pokeball."_

_"What!? But he's yours!" Eric cried._

_"Yes, and he deserves to live on," Jak said. "If he ever asks, just tell him Jak had to save the ones he loves."_

_"Jak, please," Eric said._

_Jak just put a hand on his shoulder. "You just have to trust me..."_

Eric then awoke, breathing heavily. He looked around, but everything was still. After calming down, he then cursed silently. _"Why Jak, why did you have to do it?" _he thought. _"It wasn't necessary..."_

Getting up, he looked over and saw Tadashi sleeping right next to Dawn. He then smiled. Dawn only knew him as a Vulpix when she was little. After what happened with Jak, Eric then took care of him and eventually evolved him with a Fire Stone. And the rest is history.

He then went into the forest, trying to walk off his thoughts. Smart? No, but at least he was armed enough. And good thing, too. All of a sudden, he heard a rustle in the bushes. Shaking his head slightly, he went over to the bush, and reached in quickly.

"Hey! What the-" something yelled as Eric grabbed hold of it. Pulling it out, Eric could see it was a small demon. He didn't fear it: it wasn't much of a threat against him.

"So, sneaking around in the forest are we?" Eric said. "I would say spying, personally."

"What do you want, you filthy human?" the demon said. "You would kill a small demon wandering in the woods?"

"As a matter of fact, I could and I should," Eric said, taking out his knife and placing it next to it's throat.

"Why should I be afraid of you!?" the demon hissed. "Your just a human, probably full of empty threats."

"Oh, is that what you think?" Eric said, chuckling. He then closed his eyes. He then opened them again and his eyes, which were normal before, were now dark red. "Perhaps maybe you might recognize me now," he said, his voice a bit lower.

The demon then gasped and fell to the ground in fear. "You!" he cried.

"Yes, me," Eric said, then returning to his normal self. "Now talk. What were you doing out here?"

"Alright, alright!" the demon said. "So I was spying. But only because my master-"

He was then interrupted again as Eric grabbed him by the throat. "Your master ended up taking someone very valuable to me. Demon, do you have any friends?"

"Yes!" the demon cried out between breaths.

"Really?" Eric said. "Friends that you've known for so long? Friends that you grew up with!?"

"Yes!" the demon said, practically sobbing now.

"Well, my friend is gone because of your master," Eric said, snapping the demon's neck and throwing it to the ground. "And I'm sure he would've liked that."

Walking back to camp, he saw that Tadashi was awake and was looking at him. "Tadashi, I thought you were sleeping with Dawn," Eric said.

"I was," Tadashi said. "But now I'm watching over her."

"Like you've always done," Eric said, smiling.

"Eric..." Tadashi then said. "Why haven't you told her yet? She has the right to know!"

"Look, she'll know soon enough," Eric said.

"Eric!" Tadashi growled, showing his fangs. "If you don't have the guts to tell your own friend's daughter of what fate he endured, then I will tell her myself!"

Eric was silent for a couple of minutes. "Alright, I will make sure to tell her."

"Promise?" Tadashi asked.

Eric went up and petted Tadashi gently. "Promise," he said.

"Eric," Tadashi then said. "I know what had happened." He looked at him and his eyes told Eric that he was seriousness now. "You let it get to you again, didn't you?"

"I was upset," Eric said, sitting back onto the ground. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"Will you tell Dawn?" Tadashi asked.

"If she found out, I don't know what she'll think of me then," Eric said. "She always looked up to me and Jak. I just couldn't let her know about that."

"Eric, she loves you, and nothing will change that," Tadashi said. "But what we have to figure out now is what to do next."

"Going back is pointless," Eric said. "I set one foot in there I'll be killed on the spot, probably you as well."

Tadashi chuckled. "Don't forget, I'm much quicker."

"Oh whatever," Eric said, laughing quietly. He then became silent. "You know that conversation we had before?"

"Yeah," Tadashi said.

"I just want to make sure you're ready for that," Eric said. "It's not easy to do, especially since it already happened to you."

"I'll be fine," Tadashi said. "If it means helping Dawn, then I'm helping Jak, and that's the most important thing of all."

"Yeah, it sure does," Eric said, looking at the full moon. He then looked over and saw two particular Pokemon sleeping next to one another. "Say, isn't that-"

"Yep," Tadashi said, smiling.

"I knew it," Eric said. "I figured there was something going on between Ash and Dawn. Heh, Dawn knows how to pick her love interests."

"I wouldn't say that outloud," Tadashi said.

"I know," Eric said, yawning. "You still going to keep watch?"

"For right now," Tadashi said.

"Alright, but make sure to go to bed soon," Eric said as he laid down and closed his eyes. "Last thing I need tomorrow is a grumpy Ninetales."

* * *

(A/N: Wow, I got this whole chapter done in one night. Impressive I must say. Okay, so maybe Eric's secret hasn't fully been revealed yet, but it will next chapter. Anyway, sorry that it seems to be all in one setting, but I think it turned out okay. Hope you enjoy it.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	13. Another Encounter

(A/N: Okay, I just want to make something clear. Even though Tadashi can talk, only Dawn and Eric can understand him, and I think you may know why.)

* * *

Chapter 13: Another Encounter

The sun finally started to rise over the island, covering all of it with sunlight. If you were to look at the horizon, you could easily say that it was a beautiful sight. And yet, beautiful sight despite dark times...

Dawn then woke up, hearing the sounds of the forest surround her. Sitting up, and looking to her side, she then smiled instantly. Laying there, next to her, were both Pikachu and Buneary, who were sleeping. _"Now how did she end up getting out?" _Dawn thought. She stifled a giggle. _"Guess Pikachu did it all himself." _

She then heard a yawn and looked over to see Ash getting up, who had been sleeping next to her. "Morning Dawn," he said, yawning.

"Morning," Dawn said. She then nudged him and tilted her head towards where Pikachu and Buneary were.

Ash couldn't help but smile while shaking his head. "I was starting to wonder when those two would finally hook up," he said.

"I think it's very cute. Buneary has definitely been waiting for this moment," Dawn said. "Besides, Pokemon's feelings reflect the feelings their trainers have." She then kissed him on the cheek.

"Very true," Ash said. He was proud of his little buddy. He seemed to have finally recovered after what happened with Yuna and finally got together with Buneary.

Dawn then looked over to where Tadashi was, and stared at the Pokemon for a bit. "Dawn, something wrong?" Ash asked.

Dawn then broke out of her thoughts, looking back at Ash and shaking her head. "When I was little," she said. "I always remembered Tadashi as a Vulpix. Eric would stop and see us, time after time. Of course, I remember he came one day and talked to my dad about something, and dad then told us he go somewhere. That was the last I saw of him." Her eyes then glanced back over to the mighty Ninetales. "I have to admit, Tadashi has changed a bit, and I know it's because he evolved, but he still cares about me. This I know." She then noticed that Tadashi was trying to conceal a smile and Dawn just laughed. "Trying to listen in our conversation, are we?"

"Well, I was trying to sleep, but you woke me up," Tadashi said, getting up and going up to her. He then nudged his nose against her cheek. He then looked to Ash. "So, gotten yourself a boyfriend I see?"

Dawn just laughed, knowing Ash couldn't understand him. "What did he say?" Ash asked.

"Oh, nothing," Dawn said, smiling. "Yes Tadashi, he is."

"He's been through many battles, I can see," Tadashi said, looking Ash over. "Him and his Pikachu. I can see that he'll have a bright future." He then smiled. "Shall I have some fun with him...?"

"Tadashi..." Dawn said warningly, but didn't seem too serious about it.

Tadashi just ignored her. Suddenly, he pounced on Ash and looked him straight in the eyes while baring his fangs. "If you even think of doing anything inappropriate with Dawn, I will rip your throat out!"

"Uhh, Dawn!?" Ash said, now scared for his life.

"Tadashi!" Dawn cried. However, she was on the ground laughing, causing everyone else to wake up, seeing the scene and become very confused. "Don't worry Ash, he's only messing with you," Dawn said. Ash looked back to Tadashi and saw that he was now smiling.

"Great, a Pokemon with a sense of humor..." Ash muttered.

* * *

Soon later on, the group then set off once again towards where Eric resided. They got to a clearing, realizing they had finally reached the other side of the forest. Now, before them, stood a great mountain range, the top area covered in snow.

"Ah, almost home," Eric said. He then looked to the others. "I hope you brought something warm."

"Wait a minute, are you saying you live in that mountainside?" Brock asked.

"I do," Eric said, causing the three trainers to lean over and sigh in disappointment.

"You mean we have to climb that entire mountain?" Ash asked.

"Well, we could," Eric said. "Or we could take the easy path and just fly up there."

"That sounds like a way better idea," Dawn said, beaming. "I'm guessing you still have Pidgeot?"

"Indeed I do," Eric said, taking out a Pokeball and summoning Pidgeot. "Pidgeot is strong enough that he can carry _two _people instead of just one."

"Cool," Ash said, taking out a Pokeball as well. "Come on out, Staraptor!" There was a flash of light and Staraptor appeared.

"Ah, a Staraptor, and a strong one too," Eric said.

"Yep, she was the first Pokemon I captured in Sinnoh, as a Starly," Ash said. "And I don't think she would mind carrying two people as well, do you Staraptor?" Staraptor shook her head, smiling.

"Well, let's not waste time," Eric said. He then looked to Tadashi. "Don't worry, old friend. This will be short," he said, calling Tadashi back into his Pokeball. "Here Brock, you can ride with me, while the other two ride on Staraptor."

"Alright," Brock said as he and Eric got on Pidgeot, then taking off.

"Ash, are you sure Staraptor won't mind?" Dawn asked.

"Of course," Ash said. "Besides, you're Staraptor's friend too and she would never let you fall."

"Alright then," Dawn said as the two got on to Staraptor and took off as well, following Pidgeot.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, now it's time for a song, specially suited for this scene since it seems to have that... well, you'll see. Anyway, the name of the song is called "Phantoms" from Final Fantasy X.)

* * *

Once finally getting to the top, they could see it was rather different from below. *The area was covered in snow, making it look like a winter wonderland. Not only that, but there were many Pokemon, ice and water-types alike, out in the open.

"Wow, it's amazing up here," Dawn commented. She then looked to Eric. "You actually live up here? With the Pokemon?"

"I do," Eric said. "Like I said, I like being in the wild. Peaceful and quiet. Tadashi, however, isn't a big fan of the cold."

"Well, I am a fire-type," Tadashi said.

"Anyway, the cabin, which is what it is, is about a mile from here," Eric said. "Once we get there, we can come up with our next strategy."

As they continued along, they saw that the mountaintop, despite being covered in snow and ice, had some areas of water, which many Pokemon swam in, including-

"Wow, look at all the Piplup and Prinplup!" Dawn said. She then looked at her own Piplup, in her arms. "Why don't you go say hi to them, Piplup?" Piplup then jumped out of her arms and went to the others. Once seeing him, they automatically greeted him friendly and invited him over, where they were playing in the water.

Then, out of nowhere, another figure appeared before them, causing them to look up in surprise. There stood an Empoleon, most likely the leader, and it was staring directly at Piplup, able to pick him apart from the others.

However Piplup, being the kind of Pokemon he was, stared right back at it, causing the surrounding area to become tense. But, Empoleon then smiled and reached out one of it's flippers, offering it's greetings towards Piplup. Piplup took the flipper and shook it, returning the gesture. "Well, that's Piplup for you," Dawn said, sweatdropping slightly.

All of a sudden, they heard a faint noise coming from somewhere behind them. "Do you hear that?" Ash asked.

"What is it?" Brock said.

"No, it's not possible," Eric said as the noise got louder and louder.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, this wasn't normally planned to be in the chapter, but I decided last-second. The song I chose to have here is called "Seymour's Ambition" from FFX.)

* * *

*As it turned out, the noise was coming from none other than a large shuttle, accompanied by two smaller ships. They then descended upon the frozen snow in front of them.

"Who is that?" Dawn asked.

"Take a wild guess..." Eric said.

The smaller ships opened up first, and almost a battalion of soldiers then surrounded them. Finally, a hatch came down in the front part of the shuttle and being escorted by more soldiers was none other than-

"Leon!" the four trainers said.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," Leon said as he set foot upon the frozen ground, at his side a Zangoose, possibly another one of his Pokemon . He looked around, most of the Pokemon that had been there had fled. "I must say Eric, I really do like your taste of living outdoors. Except for the cold at least."

"What do you want Leon?" Eric asked, glaring at him.

"I thought maybe perhaps you already figured that out," Leon said. He then looked to Dawn. "You know Dawn, the offer is still up so now's your chance to change your mind."

"I told you Leon, I'm not going to marry you!" Dawn said, looking at him angrily. "And even if you ask me again, I'll still say no!"

"Hmm, I see," Leon said. "Well, in that case, I guess we have to resort to other means. Let's put it this way. If you don't accept my offer Dawn..." There were then about ten flashes of light and ten Houndoom, most likely the soldier's watchdogs, appeared. "This area may end up seeing an early sign of... global warming."

"Leon, you bastard!" Eric yelled angrily. "You say you want to save the world, but you would destroy the habitat here in which these Pokemon live in!?"

"Sometimes we all have to make big sacrifices," Leon said. "I thought you would've learned that from Jak, Eric."

The mentioning of his former master quickly put Tadashi on the edge. "How dare you!?" he snarled, baring his teeth fully. "You rotten, disgusting piece of filth!" Unable to control his rage, Tadashi then ran out and leaped towards Leon, hoping to bite his neck.

However, the Zangoose attacked Tadashi with Crush Claw at great speed and knocked him back towards the ground. Tadashi got up and was about to attack again but Eric then got ahold of him and held him down. "No Tadashi!" he cried.

"You heard what he said!" Tadashi snarled right back at him.

"I know..." Eric said. "I know. Just save your strength."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I know I'm going crazy with all the songs and such, but hey I like to stay dramatic. Anyway, I have here another Princess Mononoke song. This one is called "The Young Man From The East." As you can easily tell, it's similar to the beginning credits, but it's slightly different obviously. Anyway, this part here is rather important.)

* * *

*"I'm surprised Eric," Leon said. "I thought you had learned to control the anger in your Pokemon. Oh, that reminds me." He then looked back to Dawn. "You know Dawn, I have a feeling Eric told you much with what has been going on. But I know for sure he hasn't explained everything."

"Leon stop!" Eric said quickly.

"And why should I?" Leon asked. "You never told Dawn the truth about her father, and also why you had been banished ten years ago in the first place. Why don't you lift up your one sleeve, Eric?"

"Eric, don't!" Tadashi said, almost pleadingly.

Eric hesitated, but then began to lift up the sleeve on his right arm. "Leon... you bastard," Eric said quietly. Lifting it up, there was a large, dark mark on the top of his arm. Suddenly, it reacted and tentacle-like shadows came out of the mark, surrounding his arm.

"Aha!" Leon cried. "You see Dawn, your godfather had been cursed with demon power ten years and since he was believed to be a threat to our safety, was banished from the city. A pity really."

The other trainers just looked at Eric, too shocked for words. "Eric...?" Dawn said.

"I'm sorry Dawn, I should've told you," Eric said sadly. "I should've told you everything." He then pulled down his sleeve and looked at Leon angrily. "I hope you're satisfied Leon!"

"Very," Leon said. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll be taking Dawn with me."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, it's obvious to say there's a battle coming up, so I came prepared. The song I have here is another personal favorite from Lost Odyssey. It is called "Dark Saint.")

* * *

"I don't think so," Eric suddenly.

"Oh, so you risk having your home, as well as the home to many Pokemon, destroyed?" Leon asked.

*"No Leon," Eric said. "I'm just going to have to stop you in the process." He then took out a Pokeball. "Luxio, I need your assistance!" There was a flash of light and Luxio appeared.

"So you want to fight, why am I not surprised?" Leon said. He then turned to Zangoose. "I'm sure you can handle this." Zangoose then took the field in front of him.

Eric then looked to the others. "Let me handle this, I'll be fine," he said. "Luxio, I have full confidence in you."

"Lux-Luxio," Luxio said nodding.

"This will be most fun indeed," Leon said. "Zangoose, start things off with Close Combat." Zangoose then charged straight at Luxio.

"If you're trying to test me out, you're wasting your time," Eric said. "Luxio, counter it with Thunder Fang!" Luxio then dodged Zangoose's first attack and then hit it full blast with Thunder Fang, knocking it back. However, it landed on all fours gracefully.

"Hmm, you seem stronger than I thought," Leon said. "No matter. Zangoose, use Crush Claw!" Zangoose then charged once more, it's claws glowing.

Eric just smiled. "You'll never learn. Luxio, Double Team!" Luxio then split into about six copies of himself, surrounding Zangoose.

But Leon smiled in return. "Oh really?" Zangoose attacked the first Luxio, which happened to be the real one, knocking him back. But Zangoose didn't stop there. "Zangoose, Close Combat once more!" Zangoose then slashed and kicked at Luxio, beating him down until it finally knocked him to the ground.

"Luxio!" Eric cried out. Luxio was still for a moment, but then started to get up, his eyes closed in pain. However, once he got up, he opened his eyes and they were no longer golden yellow but now deep red.

"Huh? What happened to Luxio?" Ash said suddenly.

"Well, well, well," Leon said. "Seems like you passed on your traits to your Pokemon. How adorable. However, I do not fear any demons, whether in humans or Pokemon. Zangoose, let's finish this off with Crush Claw, one more time."

Zangoose then charged straight at Luxio once more. However, Eric could not do anything since now Luxio was under his own control. Luxio then had electricity coming out of him, preparing for a Charge Beam attack. He then unleashed the beam, which hit Zangoose with such power that Luxio couldn't normally emit. Zangoose was then sent back and hit the ground, knocked out.

However, Luxio wasn't finished with him yet. But, before he could do anything, Eric quickly called him back. "Control your anger, Luxio," he said to the Pokeball. "You should be proud, you did a wonderful job."

Leon then called back his Pokemon as well. "Impressive," he said. "But I'm afraid if you really want to beat me then we have a long way's to go."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, last song for the chapter, I promise. It's even a short song, like thirty seconds. Anyway, the name of it is called "Will To Live," from Princess Mononoke.)

* * *

*"Stop, please!" Dawn said, rushing out past Eric towards Leon. Once she stood in front of him, she then bowed her head. "If it means keeping my friends alive and keeping these Pokemon safe from harm..." She then looked him square in the eye. "Then I will go with you."

"Dawn, don't say that!" Eric said.

"I have to," Dawn said. "If it's what I'm meant to do, then I have no choice." She then looked to Ash and Brock. "I'm sorry Ash, and Brock."

"Dawn..." Ash then said.

"I still love you Ash, no matter what," Dawn said, before following Leon and his men onto the shuttle, which then took off and raced towards Cerenia City.

"Damn it!" Eric cried out as he curled his fists in anger. He then took out a Pokeball and called out Pidgeot. "Pidgeot, I want you to track down that shuttle and help Dawn if you can." Pidgeot then nodded and took off.

"What do we do now Eric?" Brock asked.

"We have to save Dawn!" Ash said.

"All we can do now is wait," Eric said. He then looked to where Cerenia City laid in the distance. _"Dawn, I seriously hope you have a plan."

* * *

_(A/N: Well, that was an interesting chapter, no doubt. Now you see why Eric is like he is. And yet, there's still more to reveal, but all in due time. Anyway, hope this chapter turned out good and well, tune in next time to see what happens.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	14. The Marriage Ceremony

(A/N: Okay, this chapter will mostly, if not all, be with just Dawn since she has been taken. Oh yes, one other thing. I decided to once do the thing where I have like songs that wouldn't necessarily fit into certain scenes but overall go along with the story. I actually have two in fact, but are for different scenarios. The one is "Papercut" from Linkin Park. The other is "Lost!" from Coldplay. Maybe they fit, maybe they don't, I feel that they work pretty well. Oh, and another thing. If people have been watching Pokemon lately, I've seriously been wondering about the music they use now, because it sounds awesome. If only I could find the soundtrack. :()

* * *

Chapter 14: The Marriage Ceremony

As the shuttle was making it's way back to the city, Dawn sat in one of the many seats, Piplup in her arms. She thought over what she said to the others before leaving. Did she do the right thing, and was she making the best decision?

_"If Leon believes I play a role in this, I'll have to go with it," _Dawn thought. Piplup looked up to her, concerned. She just smiled. "Hey, no need to worry Piplup. We'll be fine." She looked over and saw Leon, but he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. _"Is it just me, or does it always seem like Leon has a different personality when it's just me around?" _Her eyes then opened up slightly in shock. _"Wait a minute, he doesn't actually like me, does he? No, that's just silly. This whole thing can't possibly be mutual."_

"I suppose your angry at me?" Leon asked, finally clearing himself of his thoughts. "Can't blame you if you are."

"I'm not angry," Dawn said. "Just confused. Why do you think I'm the one that can do all this?"

Leon sighed. "As much as I want to tell you everything, I cannot. Some things are better discussed with certain people. But, there is one thing. Some time ago, I had... a vision. I think."

"A vision?" Dawn asked.

"Yes. All I can remember was that it was very dark, so dark I couldn't even see anything in front of me. Then, I heard a voice, telling me something. How in such dark times, the only one who could save us was a young girl, one not from our city," Leon said. "I searched and searched, trying to find who the voice was talking about, until finally, I pinpointed everything to you, Dawn."

Dawn then remembered the dream she had had. Perhaps it was the same voice. "So, whatever this entity is, it thinks only I have the power to stop this. To stop Zion."

"Perhaps," Leon said. He then smiled. "Of course, I'm not always right."

"Very funny," Dawn sarcastically.

"Seems like we've finally arrived," Leon said as the ship stopped in mid-air and started to land. "Come, preparations are already in process."

As Dawn got out of the shuttle, Piplup nudged her slightly. Knowing what he was saying, she said, "No Piplup. I have to do this if it's what I was born to do. Besides, there are too many of them to fight against."

"This is where you'll be staying, temporarily," Leon said, showing her her room.

"Temporarily?" Dawn asked.

"Yes," Leon said. He then looked around quickly before looking back to her. "You see, we'll soon make another attack, going to the demons' homeworld. Of course, we'll only be in the background and we'll take Zion on ourselves."

"You mean, you and I?" Dawn said.

"Yes Dawn," he said, taking her hands. "Please don't think I'm just merely using you. I do care about you, and I promise, I'll let nothing happen to you." He then reached over and kissed her slightly on the lips. "Just remember that," he added before leaving the room.

Dawn then placed her fingers on her lips, where he had kissed her. Maybe perhaps Leon wasn't such a bad person at all. Honestly, she felt sorry for him, for what he has gone through and now have this weight on his shoulders. But then again, it was best not to let her thoughts betray her.

Dawn then looked around the room and saw that the closet door was slightly open. Putting Piplup down, she then went over to it and opened it. There, hanging beautifully was a white wedding dress.

Dawn was taken aback by this. One, the dress was very beautiful, and two, it came as a shocker to her, mostly because being in a wedding was something she obviously never experienced before. And not only that, but she wanted her first wedding to mean something, to be special. Dawn all of a sudden found tears in her eyes, realizing now the path she was taking now.

"Piplup?" Piplup said, concern in his voice.

Dawn then wiped away the tears quickly and looked to him. "I'm fine," she said, trying to smile to reassure him, but Piplup wasn't convinced. She then sat down next to him. "All that's been happening has been so overwhelming and..." Tears again then started to flow down her face. "I don't think I can do all this." She then broke down sobbing. Piplup then went over and put a flipper on her arm, trying to comfort her. Dawn then picked up Piplup and gave him a hug, while still sobbing.

There was then a knock at her door and she looked up, while wiping away her tears again. "Come in," she said.

The door opened and one of the servants, this one a woman, stepped inside. "Miss Berlitz, it's time to get you ready for the ceremony."

"Oh, right," Dawn then said.

* * *

Leon, meanwhile, was taking a stroll down in one of the many gardens the palace had. Here, he felt at peace. It was his mother, the former queen, who had planted all of these. And since then, he's made sure to keep them in good shape, in memory of her. It just so happened that the man he wanted to see was here as well.

"Ah, Leon. Good to see you," the man said, who was sitting at one of the many benches.

"Good to see you too, Father Albert," Leon said.

"So, big day for you, huh?" Albert said. He then laughed. "Of course I know that, I will be there of course."

"Yes, of course," Leon said quietly.

"You know, she is very beautiful," Albert said. "You won't find many people like her these days. Kind, heart-warming, etc. You should consider yourself very lucky."

"Yeah," Leon said. "Father, I've been meaning to ask you this. When it says that two people are "united in love," that usually does mean marriage right?"

"Right," Albert said. "Because marriage means to unite the bond you have with someone, making you both one. But of course, the phrase itself doesn't always mean that. Love can also refer to friendship, family, all sorts."

"Friends... family," Leon said.

"Are you alright, Leon?" Albert asked. "You seem like you're off somewhere."

"Father, I must make a confession," Leon said. "Even though I am marrying Dawn... I do not necessarily love her."

"What!?" Albert said rather loudly. "But why go to all the trouble?"

"Because of this," Leon said, pulling out a parchment of paper and handing it to Albert. The parchment was the very same from the book he had found in the library.

Albert looked at it for about a minute. "Hmm, I see," he said. "Now I think I understand why you asked me all this. You do realize with what this prophecy says could mean something different between you and I. "United in love" could mean marriage, but also what I said before."

"I know," Leon said. All of a sudden, a thought came to him and his eyes widened in fear.

"Leon, what's wrong?" Albert asked, suddenly concerned again.

"It's nothing," Leon said quickly, getting up. "Thank you Father, I'll be seeing you at the ceremony." He then started walking quickly back to the palace. _"I have to find Dawn, and fast."

* * *

_Dawn, at this point, was getting her hair done by the servant. While this was going on, Dawn once again was lost in thoughts. _"I just hope Ash can forgive me for doing this," _she thought. _"Actually, I hope mom can forgive me for this. Well, I'm in a bad situation anyway, so maybe I won't have to tell her."_

"There, all done." the servant then said. She then gave Dawn a mirror. "You look beautiful."

Dawn looked at the mirror, and she couldn't agree more. Normally, she would have clips in her hair whenever she was going around normally, but now her hair was fully down, covering her ears, and it sparkled, even more than when she would use Piplup's BubbleBeam to shampoo her hair.

"Wow... it's beautiful," Dawn said. "Thank you very much."

"Oh, it's nothing, dear," the servant said, bowing. "It is your day after all." There was then a knock at the door. The servant then went over to the door and opened it. "Oh, your majesty!"

"Dawn isn't dressed is she?" Leon asked, his voice getting Dawn's attention. "I mean, not in her dress."

"Oh no," the servant said.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to speak with her in private," he said.

"Oh, of course," the servant said, leaving and closing the door behind them. Once she left, Leon locked the door.

"Leon, what are you doing?" Dawn asked, a weird thought going through her head. She then noticed Leon seemed rather flustered. "Are you alright?"

"We need to talk, Dawn," Leon said.

Dawn then got up and sat down on the bed. "Alright," she said. "What's wrong?"

"Dawn, I know what I'm going to say is going to sound contradictory, but I'll say it anyway. You need to get out of here."

"What?" Dawn said. "Is this some sort of joke? I leave my friends behind for your sake and come all the way here and now you're telling me to just leave?"

"Dawn, you have to hear me out," Leon said. "Yes, you need to get out of here, but not now."

"Now you are seriously confusing me," Dawn said.

Leon sighed. "Alright, I'll explain then. Do you ever feel like... you're being watched constantly?"

Dawn didn't understand the question at first, but her eyes widened once she finally did. "Leon, is someone-"

"Shh!" Leon said, covering her mouth with his hand. "We can't let it hear us. But yes, there's something else going on here, something I just figured out. I believe it's best that you get as far away from me as you can."

"But who could it possibly be?" Dawn asked.

"I can't say right now, it may be listening in," Leon said.

"Must I go now?" Dawn then asked.

"No, it would look too suspicious. Too suspicious for anyone," Leon said. "Once the ceremony starts, try to think of a way of escaping. Since this will be a private ceremony, we shouldn't have any problems."

"And you're telling me the truth?" Dawn asked.

"Yes," Leon answered.

"Alright," Dawn said.

"I had better get ready, as so should you," Leon said as he headed towards the door.

"Leon," Dawn said, causing him to stop. He then looked over to her. "Thank you," she said.

Leon nodded, turning around and opening the door. However, he then stopped again and turned to her. "Oh, and your hair looks very beautiful," he said before leaving, causing Dawn to smile and blush a little.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I finally have a song coming up here. I actually only have two for this chapter, which is a surprise. Wait, I lied, three. Anyway, the name of this song is "Marriage Ceremony" from Final Fantasy X. The other song is called "I Can Fly," also from FFX.)

* * *

A couple hours passed. Dawn was then fitted into her dress and once that was done, she was escorted by one of the servants outside and to a structure she had not seen before. It almost resembled a pyramid, with many steps to climb, but not too many. There, waiting for her, was Leon.

"This is not what I expected when I realized I was going to get married," Dawn told him. "I was thinking a bit more traditional."

"And since when do I do "traditional,"" Leon asked. "I figured that you would like somewhere _outside_, _away from the palace_, and _up in the air a bit_," he added, winking at her. "But anyway, we had better get this over with."

*Taking her hand, they then descended up the stairs. Dawn, meanwhile, was looking around for any guards, but none were around. "Leon, I must ask you one thing," Dawn said as they continued up. "Will I ever see you again?"

"Maybe, but not in the best way," Leon said. "This is all up to you now. You and your friends have to finish this on your own, while I'll try playing my part."

Soon, they got to the top and there, waiting them was Father Albert. He nodded towards him while Leon nodded back. "It's good to finally meet you Dawn," Albert said. "Leon has told me many things about you, but all good."

"Thank you Father," Dawn said.

"Now let us begin," Albert said. "We are gathered together on this beautiful afternoon to share with Dawn and Leon as they exchange vows of their everlasting love. May their marriage bring them the peace, joy, comfort and contentment that is known in the hearts of all the Lord's children. And may Leon and Dawn both look forward to each new season of their marriage --- just as the world looks forward to each new season of the year. For all seasons bring with them their own special moments and memories. An essential requirement of a good marriage is a strong bond of real friendship and trust."

As Albert said these words, Dawn all of a sudden had a feeling, a strange feeling that she couldn't quite understand. She then glanced over at Leon and saw that he remained calm and content.

"Dawn and Leon, your love for each other will grow deeper with every passing day, but it's important to remember that your love stands on a foundation of genuine, mutual affection and respect for each other," Albert continued. "To truly _love_ another person is to be willing to accept both their strong points, and their weak points, with equal measures of understanding and respect. The vows you are about to exchange, will serve as a verbal representation of the non-verbal emotions that are as real as any thing that can be seen, heard or touched. For it is not the words that you will speak today that will bond you together as one --- but the strength of the love and commitment found deep within your souls. At this time, I'll ask you, Leon, and you, Dawn, to face each other and take each others hands. Leon, will you take Dawn to be your wife, your partner in life and your one true love? Will you cherish her friendship and love her today, tomorrow and forever? Will you trust and honor her, laugh with her and cry with her? Will you be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

"I will," Leon said.

"Dawn, will you take Leon to be your husband, your partner in life and your one true love? Will you cherish his friendship and love him today, tomorrow and forever? Will you trust and honor him, laugh with him and cry with him? Will you be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

*Dawn then looked right at Leon, and his eyes were enough to tell her now was her chance. "I... I..." she stammered, not sure what to say.

"Are you alright, Dawn?" Albert asked.

Then, something caught Dawn's eye. She saw a figure that looked exactly like Eric's Pidgeot. Knowing it could see her, now was her chance. "I'm sorry Leon," she said, starting to step back. "I'm not sure if I'm really ready for this."

Leon then noticed she was stepping towards the edge. "Dawn..." Leon then said.

But she didn't hear him. "I'm sorry Le-" but she didn't finish the sentence as she fell over the edge.

"Dawn!" Leon cried out, going to where she had fallen. Then, a Pidgeot flew above him and headed northwest, Dawn on it's back. Leon then smiled. "Clever girl," he said softly.

"I'm sorry Leon," Albert said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know you didn't truly love her, but it must still hurt for her to leave you like that."

"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah," Leon said. "Well, since she's gone I better return to usual business."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, last song here. This might be an interesting choice. Title is "Seymour's Theme" from FFX. Funny how most Seymour-related songs are pick for Leon.)

* * *

*He then went down the steps, and then went back into the palace. Once getting to one of the balconies and realizing he was alone, he stopped and sighed. _"Now what do I do?" _he thought. _"Without Dawn, there is nothing I can do. For myself, or my people. What can I do as a king if I cannot do anything?"_

Then, he heard a voice, one that he had hoped he would never hear again. Only thing was, the voice was coming from his head. _"You fool, you let that little girl get away!" _the voice said.

"Bite your tongue, demon," Leon said. "I did all of this because I found out your little plan. You were going to have me kill her once you had the perfect opportunity."

_"Hmm, clever human," _the demon said. _"But it makes no difference. She will not be able to destroy our master. He is far too powerful."_

"We'll see about that," Leon said. "She's stronger than you think."

_"But as for now, I have other matters," _the demon said. _"You, my dear king, will do some duties for me."_

"Never!" Leon said. "I will not be your pawn in all of this."

_"Oh, but you will," _the demon said, laughing. _"Makes you wish you had never killed your father, doesn't it?"

* * *

_(A/N: Hmm, what cruel fate could soon bestow upon Leon? If I could, I'd tell you how the demon came to him in the first place, but it'll be explained later on. So, hopefully this turned out to be a good chapter. And what, you really thought Dawn was going to get married? Please, when it comes to twists, it's like a hobby. So until then, umm I don't know. XD)

FoxMcCloud7921


	15. The Truth Revealed

Chapter 15: The Truth Revealed

"Ugh, I'm sick of waiting!" Ash said, clearly frustrated.

"Calm down, Ash," Brock said. "I'm sure Dawn came up with some idea to get herself out of there."

"We may not be related, but she reminds me a bit of myself," Eric said, smiling. "Trust me, she'll be fine." He then looked up. "In fact, she's found herself back here."

"Huh!?" both Ash and Brock said, looking in his direction. Indeed, there was Dawn, flying on top of Pidgeot.

"I see no ring on the finger," Eric said, smiling once Pidgeot had landed. "I'm guessing there was a hitch in the plans?"

"You could say that," Dawn said, once she got down. "But now that's not important. We have to get back and help Leon."

"What!?" the three other trainers said.

"Dawn, you do realize what you're saying, don't you?" Eric said.

"You don't understand, Leon told me to escape," Dawn said. "He said there's someone pulling the strings here."

"Pulling the strings?" Brock asked.

"Hmm, I should've figured that," Tadashi said. "I knew Leon was too young to be meddling with such cases by himself."

"There's something else," Dawn said. "Leon said they're planning on attacking the demon homeworld beginning this evening."

"This sounds suspicious," Eric said. "By now the demons would've already landed the first attack. Something is wrong here indeed. Very well, we better get a move on."

"Not so fast," Dawn said, who was now glaring at Eric. "From Leon said, you have a bit more to explain about yourself and my father."

_"She is good," _Eric thought. He then sighed. "What do you wish to hear about first?"

"What really happened to my father?" Dawn asked.

"I suppose now is the time for you to learn the truth," Eric said. "You see, your father went ahead and took on Zion by himself. While he was able to defeat Zion itself, he was not able to defeat Tamamo-no-Mae's spirit. And because of that, it took control of your father's body and he would soon become the next Zion."

"Wait a minute, you're saying that Zion is Dawn's father?" Ash asked.

"Yes," Eric said. He then looked to Dawn. "Dawn, I am so sorry for not telling you earlier."

Dawn was silent for almost a minute. "My father is... Zion? A demon?" Dawn asked. "But how is that possible?"

"Tamamo-no-Mae uses the current body it has as a host, like a parasite," Eric explained. "While one may be able to defeat Zion, Zion isn't entirely dead since they have only destroyed the host. The other thing is that the person fighting it is so weak and exhausted that they cannot fight against it and it uses that moment to possess them and as such, this is how Zion has lived for so long."

"If what you say is true, does that mean the Prophecy is talking about Dawn?" Brock asked.

"It must be," Eric said. He was silent for a bit and then snapped his fingers once a thought came to him. "Of course, now it explains everything. Jak did all what he did because he knew about Tadashi and that I would eventually evolve him since Ninetales are warders of evil spirits, and the fact that he believed his daughter could end this once and for all."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I have here a song you probably know back from P2, but I decided to bring it back. The name of it is "The Truth Revealed" from Final Fantasy X.)

* * *

*"But... I can't just kill my own father," Dawn said.

"Dawn, at this point he's already dead," Tadashi said. "Don't think this isn't hard for me, because it is. But we have to stay strong, no matter what since it will only get harder. Besides, we'd only be doing him a favor since he has experienced pain and suffering."

"You're right," Dawn said. "As much as it will hurt and tear my heart, I love my father very much and can't stand to see him in anymore pain. I will see to it that he goes on in peace." She then looked to Eric. "Eric, there was other thing you said, about Zion switching hosts. Is there a chance, if I fail, that Zion will take me?"

"...Yes. But you will not fail," Eric said. "We won't let that happen because we will all go together and defeat it once and for all."

"That's right," Ash said. "That's what friends are for."

"Besides, we would always back you up," Brock said.

Dawn all of a sudden found tears in her eyes. "Everyone," she said. "Thank you. Now, let's go help Leon. He needs us."

"Umm, Dawn?" Ash asked. "Are you forgetting something?"

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"Well, you're wearing a bride's dress," Brock said.

She then looked down. "Oh," she said, laughing. "Yeah, I forgot about that. Better get changed then."

* * *

"So you never asked me your other question," Eric said back to Dawn as they were both riding Pidgeot back into the city. Ash and Brock, meanwhile, were riding Staraptor.

"I guess not," Dawn said. "How did that happen?"

"You see, after I found out what happened to your father, I was feeling a mixture of sadness, anger, and hatred, a bad combination," Eric said. "I filled my heart with so much hatred that I somehow became endowed with demon power. I'm not proud of it, or what I am now. Anyway, the king, Leon's father, saw me as a threat to the entire city since it seemed like I was unstable, or too dangerous to be around. So he asked me to leave the city and never come back. I've been up in the mountains for ten straight years. I hope you don't think of me any differently, Dawn. "

"Doesn't matter," Dawn said. "You'll always be the same Eric to me." She then gave Eric a small peck on the cheek.

Eric smiled. "Let's just hope so," he said.

Soon they reached the outer limits of the city. "Unfortunately, I'm still not allowed here, so we're gonna have to sneak into the castle ourselves."

"Is that even possible?" Ash asked.

"Yes," Eric said. "If memory serves me right, there should still be an old passage leading to the main part of the palace. It was used as an escape route for the king in times of war."

"Where is it?" Brock asked.

"In a place where no one would suspect," Eric said. "Follow me." It wouldn't take long for them walk before they stopped in one of the streets. Looking at the manhole beneath them, Eric said. "Well, here it is, at least I think its this one."

"You have got to be kidding," Dawn said.

"Afraid not," Eric said, smiling. "Hey, this was your idea after all."

"Ugh," Dawn said, now regretting what she said.

Eric then called out Lucario. "Use Aura Sphere on the manhole," he said. Lucario then conjured up an Aura Sphere and sent it right at the manhole, blowing a huge hole in the ground. "Since it's going to be dark, Lucario can help us guide the way."

And indeed, it was dark. However, thanks to Lucario, they were able to make their way through the sewer line. "So, what's the plan?" Ash asked.

"First, we need to find Leon and see what is really going on since he is the only one who knows," Eric said. "But we have to be careful. His troops are still on the lookout for us and they may not hesitate to attack on sight."

"Eric, I sense there may be a dark presence in the palace walls," Tadashi said. "Could this be the person we're looking for?"

"Person, or thing," Eric said. Soon, they got to the end of the sewer line where a ladder was stationed. "Good work, Lucario," Eric said, calling him back. "We're standing right under the main floor of the castle, so we must be quick and quiet."

He then climbed up the ladder but it ended right at the ceiling. However, Eric felt with his hands for a loose piece of stone, and once finding it, slowly pushed up on the one side to get a glimpse of his surroundings. Luckily, the area seemed clear. Removing the tile completely, he then said to the others, "Okay, the coast is clear." They then each climbed up the ladder onto the main floor. "Strange, normally the palace wouldn't be so deserted, unless the troops are already formed up for the attack. We had better hurry. Where is Leon's room, Dawn?"

"Fourth floor," Dawn responded.

"That's going to be a lot of stairs," Eric said. "But we have to look everywhere around us in case we miss him. Alright, you three search on the second floor. Tadashi and I will look up on the third and fourth floors."

"Got it," the three trainers said and they took the one stairway on the left.

"You want me with you, Eric?" Tadashi asked.

"Of course," Eric said. "If I happen to find myself in a hole, you can bail me out."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I apologize that this chapter is much shorter than my usual ones, but I felt the need to save what was coming up for the next chapter. Anyway, there you have it, what Dawn must do now, and yes I was inspired by Final Fantasy X's storyline to create this in the first place, but I think it'll work out. So, hoped you liked this and yes, the next chapter will be longer.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	16. Demon Power

(A/N: Okay, so I have yet another song to add that doesn't appear during the story. I'm sure everyone has heard the song "Second Chance" by Shinedown. Well, I decided this song kind of goes well with the plot that's taking place, along with certain roles in the plot, so I put it in. Hope you think it goes well too.)

* * *

Chapter 16: Demon Power

"Tadashi, are you still sensing that presence?" Eric asked as the duo made their way through the third floor.

"Yes, and it's getting stronger, which could either be good or bad," Tadashi said. "You think this is the mastermind?"

"No doubt about it," Eric said. "I can sense it almost as well as you can. A very dark presence."

"Eric, I've been thinking," Tadashi said. "If they really are planning an attack, how could the demons not sense this?"

"I'm not sure, unless..." Eric began. He then put a hand to his forehead. "Shit, unless they were playing us this entire time! They want us to put together an assault force so that the defenses of the city are weak! How could we not have seen this?"

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Tadashi said.

"The demons were playing at Leon the whole time," Eric said. "Damn it, and if they get to him, we are certainly doomed." They finally got through the third floor. "Okay, nothing here. Where the hell is everyone?"

"Most likely on their way already," Tadashi said. "The soldiers at least. The others are probably taking refuge in town. The palace is their number one target."

They then got up to the fourth floor. "One more floor, if he isn't here, this will be all for nothing," Eric said.

"Didn't you say there was a fifth floor?" Tadashi asked.

"Yeah, but it's almost impossible to find," Eric explained. "Only the king and his supervisors know about it. Hell, even Jak and I couldn't find it back in the day."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, now I have a song coming up that's IN the story. This is another song from Princess Mononoke and is a favorite. It is called "The Demon Power II." Do not forget the "II." I really had to have it since I saw the movie where Ashitaka goes crazy and on a killing spree practically. You'll pretty much get to see what that's like soon.)

* * *

They then came across a rather large door. "Hmm, this doesn't seem suspicious at all," Eric said sarcastically. It was a door he had never seen before or even went into. The room was rather empty, although it did have a balcony.

"Kind of a waste of space if you ask me," Tadashi commented as they looked around.

Eric then stopped as chills went down his spine. "Tadashi, do you ever get that feeling you're not alone?"

"Plenty of times," Tadashi said, who continued walking. "Wait a minute, Eric-!" *All of a sudden, a type of force field surrounded Tadashi, causing him to grunt in pain as it started electrocuting him.

"Tadashi!" Eric said, about to go to the aid of his friend, but stopped, seeing now the room wasn't empty and they were surrounded by troops.

"You'll have to forgive us, we have the tendency to lay traps," a voice said. The source came from a man who was standing on the balcony above them.

"Vasquard," Eric said, glaring at him.

"Eric, my friend, what a surprise," Vasquard said. "I know you were foolish enough to come back here once, but twice?"

"Where is Leon, Vasquard?" Eric asked. "He is in danger and I need to find him."

"His highness is fine," Vasquard said. "Although I wouldn't say the same about you, or your friend."

"Vasquard-!" Eric said, stepping forward but quickly stopped as he heard a whine of pain, coming from Tadashi as he was put through more pain.

"If I were you, I'd stay still unless you want your canine friend burnt to a crisp," Vasquard said. "I'd love to stay and chat, however I must take my leave. Goodbye Eric, it was a nice reunion although short." He then walked out of the room.

"Eric..." Tadashi said. It was all he could say since he was in much pain from the aftereffects of the force field.

Eric all of a sudden felt a feeling he had hoped he wouldn't feel again. Anger and hatred suddenly filled him and the power he once ordained came back to him. Pulling out his knife, he then stabbed the guard behind him, causing him to cry out in pain and fall to the ground.

"What the-" one of the guards said but he was quickly silenced once Eric's blade swiped across his neck, decapitating him. In a matter of seconds, the troops surrounding him were all lying on the ground dead. The one remaining on the balcony with a crossbow, more out of panic, fired an arrow right at Eric, but he only just caught it with his hand and taking out his bow, armed it and fired it right at the guard, killing him.

Once getting ahold of him finally, he then went over to Tadashi. "Tadashi, are you alright?" he said, getting rid of the trap.

"I've been better," Tadashi said, getting up slowly while grimacing in pain.

"You're hurt," Eric said.

"No, I'm fine," Tadashi said.

"Look, I'll just put in your Pokeball until-"

"Damn it Eric, I'm fine!" Tadashi snapped, glaring at him. He then bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Eric."

"Don't be," Eric said, patting him on the head. "We always have our moments."

"But Eric, you let it happen again," Tadashi said. "You know that's not good for you. It could end up killing you."

"I know, and it was foolish," Eric said. "But we have bigger problems now. I want you to find Dawn and the others and wait for me."

"Where are you going?" Tadashi asked.

"I need to find Vasquard," Eric said. "Only he may know where Leon is."

"Very well," Tadashi said. "But don't go doing anything crazy just out of revenge..."

"I'll be fine," Eric said. Once Tadashi left, he then went up the balcony in the room and saw a door. Once opening it, he saw that there was a secret stairway. _"So this is where Vasquard went off to," _Eric thought. _"Probably leads to the fifth floor."_

Going up the stairs, he noticed that the stairway was built into one of the tall towers of the palace. Once he got to the end, there was another door. Opening it, he found himself in another room, but this time it was a lot brighter and it had many windows on the one side.

* * *

(A/N: Ah yes, time for another song. I found this one to be a good fighting song so I'll go with it then. The name of it is "One-Winged Angel," but this is the version from Kingdom Hearts II, and it obviously sounds different.)

* * *

Looking out the one window, he saw that the sun was starting to set on the horizon across the ocean. It was quite a sight.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a voice said. Eric looked around and saw that Vasquard was behind him. "Sometimes, depending on the time, the sky turns a beautiful mixture of orange and pink which helps compliment the sun. Twilight is sure a wonderful point of the day, even though it connects our world with _theirs_."

"Which just ruins the moment," Eric added.

"Yes, it does," Vasquard says. "But enough small talk, Eric. You know very well you are not supposed to be here, and seeing that my men weren't able to take care of you only supports that."

"Vasquard, you have to listen to me," Eric said. "I need to find Leon. I fear this may all be a trap."

"A trap?" Vasquard asked, now appearing confused. "What do you mean?"

"I know you plan on attacking the demons head-on, but don't you find it strange that they've offered no resistance yet?" Eric asked. "They're waiting for the right moment and will attack the city full strength. I am sure of this."

"You assume too much," Vasquard said. "But it doesn't matter now." He then drew his sword. "I have a certain assignment to take care of."

*"I don't want to fight you, but if I must, then so be it," Eric said, drawing his sword as well.

"You should have never come back," Vasquard said. "And that will be your last mistake!" He then charged right at Eric, sword raised, and swung at him. But Eric, a skilled swordsman himself, was able to dodge the attack, and the other swipes Vasquard tried to use.

Eric then tried going for the offensive, swinging at Vasquard, forcing him back. However, Vasquard swung out one of his legs, and tripped Eric, causing him to fall to the ground. He then had to roll over to miss Vasquard's sword from going right through his head.

He then got up and both swung at the same, their swords interlocking. "You would throw your life away just for a girl?" Vasquard said, trying to taunt him. "What do you see in her?"

"She's more important than you think," Eric said. He then pushed forward, causing Vasquard to fall back a bit. He went in for another swing, but Vasquard got ahold of himself quickly and kicked him, this time in the stomach.

Eric fell back and crashed into one of the windows, almost falling to his death but was able to hang onto the edge with one hand while he held his blade in the other. "It's a pity, really," Vasquard said, who stood over him. "I'm sure Dawn will be most depressed by the untimely death of her godfather. But I'll make sure to say you died most heroically."

"Is that so?" Eric asked. "I guess ten years can make you forget about the skills I possess." He then swung his blade, swinging at Vasquard's leg. Vasquard gave a yell of pain and fell back onto the floor. Eric then got up, back into the room and pointed his blade right at Vasquard's face.

"If you're going to kill me, then go ahead," Vasquard said. "I probably deserve nothing less."

"I'm not going to kill you," Eric said. He then bent down, picked up Vasquard's sword, and handed it to him. "I just want you to hear me out."

Vasquard then got up and took the sword. "Alright, I'm listening."

"I fear that the demons may have been using Leon as a puppet for some time," Eric explained. "Has he talked to you recently?"

"No, actually," Vasquard said. "He's been more keeping to himself. I thought something was bothering him."

"I see," Eric said. "Vasquard, you're the commanding officer. You can change the order that was originally made. Have the troops come back to the city, because the demons will attack here, I know this."

"Are you sure?" Vasquard asked. But, he saw the look in Eric's eyes and knew he couldn't go against it. "Very well, I'll notify all regiments immediately."

"Good," Eric said. "Where do you think Leon would be now?"

"Possibly down in the courtyard, next to the ocean," Vasquard said. "He goes down there to clear his mind sometimes."

"I see. Thank you, Vasquard," Eric said. He then placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're a good man inside, Vasquard. Don't ever forget that."

Vasquard smiled as Eric left the room. "Yeah, I guess I am."

* * *

(A/N: Well, now you've seen what Eric possesses truthfully. Trust me, that did not end well, very bloody. Anyway, yes I know it seems like I'm dragging this out so much but if I do the next part it might get too long and I try not to bore people out. But next chapter you'll definitely like, seeing as it will have a climatic battle. Well, one of many I should say as the story winds down. So, until then, enjoy the chapter.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	17. Crossing Into Enemy Territory

(A/N: To my dearest reviewers, I seriously apologize for the wait I made you endure. Due to many reasons, I was not able to upload this chapter before as planned. Fortunately, I'm hoping to make this an awesome chapter which will help repay for the lost time. Enjoy!)

* * *

Chapter 17: Crossing Into Enemy Territory

Eric made his way back to the main section of the palace, where the others were waiting for him. "Courtyard," he said. "There's a chance he may still be there."

They then went back downstairs onto the main floor and went out the side-doors, leading to the courtyard area. There they saw the large gardens that covered the entire area, leading out to the ocean. There, near the edge of the courtyard, was Leon.

"Leon!" Dawn yelled, starting to run off to meet up with him.

All of a sudden, Tadashi's senses kicked in, which was not a good sign. "Dawn," he said warningly.

Eric, catching on to what Tadashi was feeling, then cried out, "Dawn, wait!" But it was too late.

Dawn was now standing behind him, confused as to why he didn't acknowledge her. "Leon...?" she then said, this time more worried.

There was a chuckle that came from Leon and he then turned around to face her. Dawn then leaped back in horror. Leon no longer looked like himself, with an evil smile that didn't fit him at all, but really gave it away was his eyes: they were now blackish-red. "Hello... Dawn," he said.

The others had finally caught up and stood behind her. "It's as I feared," Eric said.

"What do you mean?" Brock asked.

"The demons had been playing Leon this whole time," Eric said. "What no one knew was that there was a demon inside of him, trying to take over his body."

"You mean that's a-" Ash started to say.

"Yes, Leon is no longer there," Eric said.

"You seem surprised," the demon said. "Oh yes, and on that note, it didn't take much effort to take control of him. Sure, he is strong, but I caught him when he was most vulnerable. The day he killed his poor father, his mind was in such chaos that I managed to sneak on by undetected. But I'm sure you would all like to hear the grand master plan, since villains are expected to explain them. What had happened days ago was only a test. We knew the forces we sent in weren't enough to stop you, but we happened to catch you off-guard nonetheless. But then, I came up with the perfect idea." It then looked back at Dawn and started walking to her. "We had known about this child who was supposed to be the humans' savior, to destroy our master and bring peace to the world. So, I came up with the idea that her and Leon should be married, bringing her close to me." It then reached out a hand, close to Dawn's face. "And yet, here I stand, the closest I've ever been to her."

Tadashi then growled and leaped out in front of Dawn before the demon could touch her. "Stay away from her!" he snapped warningly.

"So she now has her pet dog protecting her, how adorable," the demon said with an amused smile. "Tell me, Pokemon, do you honestly think you have the power to defeat Zion, the greatest of all demons?"

"Perhaps you have forgotten who I am and what race I belong to," Tadashi said. "All members of my race have been known as guardians, warders of evil spirits. They hunted down filth like you for centuries. And your master will be next, because guess what? I can live as long as a thousand years. Plenty of time to defeat Zion."

"That depends on if you happen to get out of the situation on hand," the demon said. "But it makes no difference, seeing as all your time spent here on this planet is numbered."

"If you think you can defeat us single-handedly, you are more foolish than I thought," Eric said.

"I won't stop you," the demon said. "At least, not me personally." It then started walking back towards the edge of the ocean. "Perhaps it's time I showed you one of Leon's closest Pokemon friends." It then stopped at the edge, and stared out towards the water.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, this is going to be one of the most intense songs I've probably found so far, (well, I have others), and I definitely feel it fits the battle. The name of the song is "Roar of the Departed Souls" from Lost Odyssey. God Nobuo Uematsu is a genius!)

* * *

"Great beast of the sea, as your master I call you to do my bidding!" the demon said. "Arise, LUGIA!"

"Lugia!?" the entire group said.

*All of a sudden, there was a tremor that rumbled beneath their feet. Soon, the ocean's waters started rippling by the disturbance and got bigger and bigger until there was a gigantic splash as something shot out of the water. The form spun into the sky and once it stopped, it opened it's wings and roared, displaying that it was indeed Lugia.

"Now Lugia," the demon said, "Destroy these meddling humans and their Pokemon!" Lugia let out another roar as it flew down just above the group and stared at them with a dangerous look.

"Lugia will not be easy to beat," Eric said. He then looked to Dawn. "What do you say, Dawn? Just the two of us?"

"The two of us?" Dawn asked. "But-"

"Lugia is strong, but it is not unbeatable," Eric said. "Our forces together should be enough. Besides, I have faith in you Dawn."

Dawn was taken aback by this, but quickly nodded with a determined face. "Right," she said. She then turned back to Lugia. "Let's do this... for my dad."

Eric nodded. "Indeed... for Jak. And Tadashi, I know you wish to fight, but you will need your strength when the time comes. Now, Lucario, Luxio, Pidgeot, I need your help!" There were three flashes of light and Eric's Pokemon appeared.

"Buneary, Pachirisu, and Mamoswine, spotlight!" Dawn said, calling out her Pokemon. She then looked to Piplup, on her shoulder. "Are you ready?" Piplup nodded and took the stage alongside the others.

"Alright, Lucario, use Aura Sphere; Luxio, use Charge Beam; and Pidgeot, use Aerial Ace!" Eric said.

"Piplup, use BubbleBeam; Buneary, Ice Beam; Pachirisu, Discharge; and Mamoswine, AncientPower!" Dawn said.

The combined attacks struck Lugia, but it didn't seem to take much damage. Now it was it's turn to hit back. It unleashed a Punishment attack, shooting orbs of dark energy at each of the Pokemon, causing damage. Judging by the look of pain on their faces, they may not be able to take many more hits like that.

"We need stronger attacks," Eric said. "Lucario, use Aura Sphere once more. Luxio, use Thunder. Pidgeot, use Brave Bird!"

Lucario then sent another blue ball of aura energy at Lugia, which hit it directly. Luxio, using Thunder, called upon a large dark cloud which then shot down bolts of lightning that hit Lugia right in the back. Finally, Pidgeot flew straight into the air and then right at Lugia, a blue flame surrounding it's body as it struck the legendary Pokemon directly.

_"I get it," _Dawn thought. _"By attacking one at a time, Lugia doesn't have time to retaliate."_

Although this time Lugia appeared to take greater damage, it still was flying in the air. However, it realized how strong these Pokemon were and knew now was the time to strike.

Eric then noticed how the Pokemon was charging up energy and realized with horror what it was going to do next. "Dawn, you have to take it out now!" he yelled. "It's preparing to use AeroBlast and if it uses it, we're all done for!"

"Okay!" Dawn said. "Buneary, Ice Beam once more. Pachirisu, Discharge. Mamoswine, AncientPower. And Piplup, use Whirlpool!"

Her Pokemon attacked one by one, but it didn't stop Lugia from charging full power. However, something rather strange happened. Once Piplup unleashed his Whirlpool attack, Lugia was at full power and used AeroBlast. But, _somehow_, the unexpected happened. The beam of light hit the whirlpool, but instead of going right through it, it reflected off and went straight back to it's master, hitting Lugia directly while also getting hit by the whirlpool. Not able to handle the attack, Lugia gave one final cry and saw itself falling from the air right back into the ocean.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, this next coming is definitely what I consider a sad song. Tragic even. Anyway, the name of it is "Aase's Death" by Edward Grieg. And yes, he's the guy who did "In The Hall of The Mountain-King.")

* * *

"Somehow, we beat it," Dawn said.

The demon possessing Leon looked at them angrily. "Worthless Pokemon..." he muttered. "It makes no difference. You will never be able to defeat our master, so enjoy the time spent here on this miserable planet that you have left!"

All of a sudden, Leon fell to his knees, breathing hard and his hands to the ground to keep himself balanced. He then looked up to the others and simply said, "Is it over now?"

"Leon!" Dawn cried out as she and the others went up to him.

"Are you alright?" Ash asked.

"I believe so," Leon said, getting up slowly. "He is gone... finally. I saw his thoughts, what they plan to do. They're going to make one last attempt on the city, with the largest force I've ever seen. I have to warn everyone else." He then attempted to walk back but only fell down after a couple of steps. All of a sudden, he noticed that blood was dripping from his nose. *"Damn it, it just couldn't leave without giving me a proper goodbye," he said. He then looked to the others. "I'm sorry, but I fear my time is up." He then fell back to the ground.

"No!" Dawn cried out, going up to his side and gently lifting his head, with Eric and Tadashi at his other side, and Ash and Brock closely behind them.

Leon then opened his eyes, looked up to Dawn and smiled. "You feel sorrow... for me? After all I've done?"

Dawn smiled slightly while tears started to form in her eyes. "It doesn't matter what you did before, you've redeemed yourself."

"Hmph," Leon said, smiling a bit. "I only wish I never did some of the things I did. Perhaps then I wouldn't be in this state. Now there's just one thing left to do." He took all his Pokeballs out and his Arcanine, Dragonite, and Zangoose came out. "Well, I believe this is the end of our relationship. Now we must part ways."

His Pokemon just looked at him in shock. Was it true that their master was leaving them... for good? When they didn't move, Leon raised his voice. "Well what are you waiting for!? Flee now while you still have the chance!" The Pokemon looked pained but followed his orders and left the courtyard. "Dawn... Eric... all of you," Leon then said. "The road leading to the final destination will be difficult, but I believe in all of you. Only you can save our world now." He then looked to Dawn once more and took her hand. "I didn't know your father personally, but I do know that he was a great man. Don't hate him for what he did. He just made an honest mistake... kind of like how we all do..." His hand then fell and Leon was gone.

Eric sighed. "To lose one so young, it's almost too painful to bare." He then closed Leon's eyes. "Rest in Peace, my king."

After a brief silence, Brock then said, "So what do we do now?"

Dawn then looked up and she had a determined look on her face. "We find a way to their world and destroy Zion once and for all."

"But how are we supposed to get there if we don't even know where to find the gateway to there?" Ash asked.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, last song of the chapter. The name of it is "Interval of Dimensions" from Lost Odyssey.)

* * *

All of a sudden, Tadashi's ears perked up. "Wait, I'm detecting something. It's faint, but..." He walked over to the edge of the courtyard, and looked back and forth. He then took a couple more steps to his right and stopped. "It's here," he said.

"But there's nothing there," Dawn said.

"That's because it's invisible now," Eric said. He then walked to where Tadashi stood and put out a hand. "Ah, there it is," he said. All of a sudden, a giant portal appeared before their eyes.

*"This leads to their homeworld?" Brock asked.

"Yes," Eric said. "When demons come or depart from our world, they warp through portals. Looks like our little friend forgot to seal his up. A careless mistake." He then turned to Dawn again. "Are you sure you truly want to do this, Dawn? Once we go in, there is no turning back."

"I know," Dawn said. "And I know we'll be facing our greatest challenge, but we have no choice now. The fate of this city, of the world, rests in our hands now. We have to finish this."

Eric nodded and looked back to the portal. "Ladies first," he said.

Dawn then went up to the portal and placed her own arm in it. "What is happening to me?" she then said. The feeling was strange, one she had never experienced before.

"Don't worry, it's completely normal," Eric said. "Trust me, I would know." Dawn then went through the portal and was gone instantly. "You two can go next," Eric said to Ash and Brock. I'll follow you." Ash, Pikachu, and Brock went through the portal next and were gone. Now it was just Eric and Tadashi.

"Eric, are you sure this is wise?" Tadashi asked. "If you go through there, you could-"

"I'll have to take my chances," Eric said. "Dawn can't go on alone. But, if something does happen, you know what to do."

"Right," Tadashi said as they went through the portal. Once they had gone through, the portal disappeared from sight, cutting them off from their own world.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, maybe the Lugia battle didn't quite go as planned. I know, "How can a legendary Pokemon be beaten so easily?" Well, if you ever play Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 1 or 2, the legendaries aren't that hard to beat, well except I'm having trouble with Articuno. Ugh, and you're supposed to be my favorite, Zapdos a close second. Oh well, and no Lugia isn't dead because he's awesome and another favorite. Anyway, sorry for the long wait again and hope you enjoyed the chapter.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	18. A Steep Hill To Climb

(A/N: Okay, now we're finally getting back into the cycle. To start off this chapter I have... another song. No surprise there really. The name of the song is "March To War" from Lost Odyssey.)

* * *

Chapter 18: A Steep Hill To Climb

*It was starting to get dark, and the soldiers of Cerenia were ready to make their departure. They were hoping to sneak in and catch the demons by surprise. However, that would change...

"Shouldn't be too long before we start moving out," one of the soldiers said.

"Hopefully, I'm starting to get restless," another soldier said.

"I hope the king knows what he is doing," the first soldier said. "Because I never asked to take in a massacre."

All of a sudden, there was the sound of running footsteps and Commander Vasquard stood in front of them, out of breath. "We must... return to the city," he said.

"What's wrong, sir?" one of the soldiers said.

"I'm calling the attack off, and I don't care what the king said," Vasquard said. "The demons are planning to attack us undetected. We need to defend the city!"

"Yes sir!" all the soldiers said, not willing to argue, as they quickly followed the commander back to the city walls. Once getting back, Vasquard headed to the top part of the city walls where many of the soldiers stood.

"It's quiet," a soldier said, a lieutenant. "Are you sure they'll be attacking us, sir?"

"Trust me, I have a friend," Vasquard said. "And he never lies." He then turned to another soldier. "Are all units in position?"

"Yes sir," the soldier said. "They await your orders."

* * *

(A/N: Alright, now this will be the good music, the battle music I should say. The name of this upcoming song is called "A Mighty Enemy Appears!" from Lost Odyssey. This is probably one of my favorite songs from the soundtrack.)

* * *

*All of a sudden, one of the lookouts who was carrying a pair of electronic binoculars suddenly cried out, "Sir, to the far west!"

Vasquard then took the binoculars and looked through them himself. Next to the ocean side, a portal had opened up, and demons, a _large _amount of them, were coming through it. "Son of a bitch," he said. "Eric was right all along. Lieutenant, I want the soldiers to stay prepared once they start reaching the city walls."

"Should we send out the squadrons?" the lieutenant asked.

Vasquard then smiled. "No, not yet. I feel our friends from the forest would like to give their thanks to them for defiling their forest. Let them have their vengeance!"

Then, out of the skies came hundreds, maybe thousands of bird Pokemon, ranging from Pidegeotto and Pidgeot to Staravia and Staraptor. Some were carrying large stones, others had other means. Once they were overhead, the ones carrying the stones released them, falling to the ground and taking out large groups of demons. The others used their own attacks to slow down the demons.

However, more and more of them kept continuing to pour out of the portal. Apparently Zion was taking one last shot at taking the city.

At the city walls, some of the slots opened up and cannons came out of the gaps. "Now, let's send the bastards straight back to hell!" Vasquard shouted to his men. The cannons then opened fire and artillery shots rained down on the demons as they quickened their pace to try to reach the city. Of course, many did not end up lasting long as they were pelted with large balls of hot iron.

And yet, despite all what the soldiers of Cerenia gave at them, the demons kept coming and were close to reaching the main gate. Vasquard, who was now down with the large majority of the men, stood staring at the large door. There soon came a large BOOM as the demons attempted to ram the door open.

"Men, we have been fighting these worthless piles of filth for hundreds of years," Vasquard said. "And every time we've managed to hold them off. Now they bring before us their largest force to take our city and wipe us out. The odds are clearly against us, but remember just one thing: if we're going down, we're gonna go down with this city and we're going to give them a fight they will never forget."

The other men said nothing and Vasquard respected this. There came another bang as the door was starting to break down. "And remember this as well," Vasquard continued. "I stand before the greatest soldiers anyone has ever seen and until our dying breaths, we will fight for our families, our wives, our children, and our friends."

There came another bang and the door broke down. Vasquard, along with the other soldiers drew their swords. "Now is the time. FOR CERENIA!" he cried out as he charged with his men towards the large number of demons in front of them.

* * *

(A/N: Now this part I was debating to either keep or get rid of and I decided to keep just because it helps connect the other story. Anyway, the song here is "Distorted Space" from Lost Odyssey and it's short, which is good since the scene will change again soon and so will the song.)

* * *

The traveling between the portal was rather strange. Normally, Ash, Dawn, or Brock thought that going through a portal or anything related to it would be uncomfortable. But, that was not the case here, although it was fast and all they could see were flashing colors. Soon though they finally reached solid ground, face first unfortunately.

"Um yeah, I forgot to mention that the ending part isn't as fun," Eric said.

*Getting up, they realized they were in a very dark realm. Dawn quickly realized something familiar about it. "Guys..." she said slowly, a look of fear on her face. "You notice something familiar about this place?"

"Like we've..." Ash said.

"Been here before," Brock said, finishing the sentence.

Indeed, they remember coming here three months ago when faced with the crisis back home. "You've been here before?" Eric asked.

Realizing they didn't have much time to explain, Dawn simply said, "We had faced a problem similar to the one in Cerenia."

"I see," Eric said. "Hmm, now that is interesting. Now, we have to find the way into the demon world."

"Wait, are you saying this is like a crossroad to the demon world?" Dawn asked.

"Indeed," Eric said. He looked behind him towards the dark forest. "In there lies the portal to their world."

"However, we must be careful," Tadashi said, his fur bristling. "The forest is ripe with evil. I could sense it from a mile away. It must be because of that portal."

Ash then remembered when they had first come here and May's encounter with "something." He shuddered slightly, remembering the look of fear in her eyes. "I was hoping I would've never had to come back to this place," he said.

"Now, once we go in, we must stick together," Eric said. "If one becomes lost, they will be lost forever." And everyone taking a hold of each others hand, they went into the forest.

There was no doubt that this forest was wicked. It was easy for one to become terrified, but Dawn couldn't be scared now. She had to be brave, or else she will never be able to save her father, or the world for that matter.

After walking for about another five minutes, Tadashi's ears perked up. "Eric..." he said.

"Yes, I sense it too," Eric said and soon they came across an open clearing. In the middle of it stood another portal, but this one appeared with a black-purplish vibe. "In the same area as last time..." Eric continued. "Well, this is it. Once we go through here we'll be one step closer to Zion. I'm not exactly sure what we'll encounter, but we have to endure to the end."

* * *

(A/N: Wow, I am really going at it with the songs here this chapter. Oh well, nothing wrong with that is there? Anyway, the song I have here is one that was requested, which I checked out and found that it works well. The name of it is "Ginnungagap (?) – Rip In The World" from Tales Of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World.)

* * *

Eric and Tadashi both went first into the portal, then Dawn, Ash, and Brock followed. The feeling this time felt a bit different, as though you were free-falling. Soon, they found themselves on solid ground, and the area they found was much different.

*It was lighter here, and the sky was a reddish-pink color. Still, it was rather dark. There were no trees, just solid ground. "It's beautiful," Dawn commented. "I wasn't expecting that."

"And yet, it seems rather depressing," Ash added.

"'Depressing' is an understatement," Eric said. "The world reflects grief and pain. Anyway, we better continue on. If I remember right, the area where Zion should be shouldn't be too far from here." They then continued their way through the twilit world. There were no sounds to be heard, only the sounds of footsteps.

After some time walking, Dawn, looking at Eric, all of a sudden gasped and stopped. "Dawn, what's wrong?" Ash asked.

"Eric..." Dawn said, looking at him. "What happened... to your eyes?"

The rest of them looked at Eric, and indeed, he looked different. His eyes had gone from their normal color to dark red. "This world must be having an effect on me," he said. He then grimaced. "I'm sorry if you feel uncomfortable staring at me now."

Dawn went up to him and took both of his hands. "I'm not," she said. "But, is there anyway you can be cured?"

"That, I do not know," Eric said. "If perhaps Zion is defeated, maybe I will be free. But don't worry about me, Dawn. This is your part of the story. It is all up to you now."

"Yes," Dawn said. She then looked ahead and in the distance she could some sort of structure. "That building..." she said. "Is that where Zion is?"

"Yes," Eric said. "That was where I last saw Jak. It's not far from here, let's keep moving."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, okay, I know I keep changing songs, but this one's important since it involves a rather dramatic scene. The name of it is "Possession" by Nicholas Hooper from Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix.)

* * *

As they kept going, Eric was starting to notice something internal going on in his body. It was like his body was weakening. His steps became shorter until he finally stopped and stood there. _"What is... happening to me?" _he thought. All of a sudden, he started to feel light-headed and fell to his hands and knees.

Tadashi, glancing over and seeing that his companion was not right next to him, looked back. "Eric?" he said softly. He saw that he was struggling to get up, and also noticed he was shaking. *Realizing what was happening, Tadashi quickly dashed towards him and jumped right on top of him, pinning him down.

Dawn, Ash, and Brock looked back, hearing the commotion. "Tadashi what are you doing!?" Dawn almost yelled.

"Stay back," Tadashi warned as Eric began to struggle. "Eric has become possessed."

"No, not Eric!" Dawn cried.

"Eric, listen to me," Tadashi said as he continued to struggle. "You can't let it beat you. You are stronger than it."

Eric, giving Tadashi a look of pure hatred, went for his knife but Tadashi quickly sunk his fangs down into Eric's arms. Eric then gave a yell, one that was not human. "Your words mean nothing Pokemon," Eric said, but it wasn't his voice. "He is mine!"

"No!" Tadashi growled. " Eric. Look into my eyes." Eric continued to struggle as he looked into the dark red eyes. "After all you've set out to do, you would let yourself fall here? I need you. Jak needs you. Dawn needs you as well. You can't let her down." Eric gave a gasp as memories flooded his head. Him and Jak when they were younger. Him spinning around with Dawn in his arms when she was a little girl. So many memories...

A new look came upon Eric's face, one of determination. "No, I can't let them down." He then looked to his goddaughter. "Dawn... no I can't!" Eric arched his back, a look of pain on his face as he started to fight back in his internal struggle. Tadashi let go of his arm as he stared at Eric in surprise. After some time, Eric finally relaxed. He opened his eyes, looked at Tadashi, and smiled. "Thanks for the wake-up call," he said. Tadashi just smiled as he got off of him.

"Eric...?" Dawn said softly.

"It's alright Dawn. I'm fine... for now," Eric said as he got up slowly. A sad look then came upon his face. " Tadashi was able to keep it at bay for now, but it seems that this is no ordinary curse. Slowly, bit by bit, I'm becoming one of them."

"What!?" the three trainers said at once.

"No, it can't be true," Dawn said. "Eric, I can't lose you too."

"My last hope is that defeating Zion can make me normal again," Eric said. He then looked to the Ninetales. "But if not, you know what to do." Tadashi nodded, although rather reluctantly.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, this should be the second to last song of the chapter. The song I have here is called "Scherzo Di Notte" from Kingdom Hearts II. Notice the version I used in P2 was from Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories.)

* * *

All of a sudden, four portals appeared and out of them each came a demon. *"Well, guess they finally sent the welcoming party," Eric said as he took out a Pokeball. "Better make this quick. Luxio, prepare for battle!"

"Pikachu, let's do this!" Ash said.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"You too, Piplup!" Dawn said.

"Piplup!" Piplup said determinedly.

"Let's help everyone out, Croagunk!" Brock said, calling it out. It was now four Pokemon versus four demons.

"Alright Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash said.

"Piplup, use BubbleBeam!" Dawn said.

"Croagunk, use Brick Break!" Brock said.

"Luxio, use Charge Beam!" Eric said.

The attacks came at once and before they knew it, the demons were gone. "Some welcoming party," Dawn commented as they quickly called back their Pokemon.

* * *

(A/N: Yeah, yeah it was short. I did that on purpose obviously. Besides, the demons can't really handle Pokemon attacks. Well, regular demons. Anyway, this will be the last song of the chapter. This one is called "The Demon God III" from Princess Mononoke. Do not forget the "III.")

* * *

"Zion is just testing us," Eric said. "It knows we're here. Hmm, you would think that there would be more of them hanging around here. They must definitely be attacking the city. Come on, we have to hurry now!"

*Meanwhile, the battle raged on in Cerenia City. From a distance, you could see smoke coming from the island. The smoke was coming from the buildings that were being set on fire. The battle on the inside was much more intense. Soldiers were fighting one-on-one with the demons as they kept coming through the gates. Some of the soldiers who had brought along their Pokemon had them out to help fight, but to no avail.

Vasquard, fighting one of the demons, realized the situation they were all in. "Men, fall back to the inner part of the city!" he said as he and the others pulled back from the city walls. Perhaps they could use the alleyways to their advantage.

Meanwhile, bombers in the air were trying to put a beating on the demons still on the outside, but they just kept coming. If this kept up, Vasquard feared that the city would be overrun in a matter of hours.

Finally, the four trainers reached the building that stood out from everything else. "Well, this is it," Eric said. "What we've been trying to reach for so long." He then grabbed the handle on one of the doors and opened it.

The room was dark inside and that was all it was, a room. However, there just happened to be-

"Another portal?" Ash, Dawn, and Brock said at the same time.

"Hmm, but this one is different," Eric said, studying it. "Ah, now I see. This portal leads to Zion himself."

"Are you sure?" Ash asked.

"It has to be," Eric said. "It must lead to Zion's lair." He then looked to Dawn. "This is it Dawn. I don't like saying it, but this may be the biggest challenge you'll ever face."

"I'm not afraid," Dawn said. "Defeating Zion will free my father, and is what matters to me the most, other than saving the world of course."

Eric nodded. "This will be it then. The final battle, and it will not be easy. Ladies first."

Dawn nodded and soon went through the portal. Ash and Brock were about to go next but Eric then stopped them. "Wait, there is something I must tell you," he said.

"What is it?" Brock asked.

"If Dawn is to face Zion, she may have to do it alone," Eric said.

"What, why?" Ash said.

"Because it is her destiny," Tadashi said. "She is the one who can save us all. By that, she will become stronger."

Ash and Brock were both reluctant to let Dawn fight such a battle by herself, but nodded. They then went through the portal after Dawn.

"If she does not stay strong, Zion will surely kill her," Tadashi said.

"I know," Eric said. "I just pray to Arceus that both you and her will be ready for this, Tadashi," he added as the two went through the portal.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, well I finally got that chapter done. And what do you know, it's a long one too. Next chapter I'm not sure if it will be the final one, but if it is it will surely be long that's for sure. Well, when I say last chapter, I mean last _chapter_, if you catch my drift. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this and I'll be updating soon. So until then, keep on truckin'.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	19. Father And Daughter

(A/N: Yay, I no longer have to worry about work, just college, which means I should be able to update sooner. Anyway, this COULD BE the last chapter of the story, but I'm not sure yet. Possibly not, but we'll see.)

* * *

Chapter 19: Father and Daughter

It was another weird experience going through this strange portal. And yet, it didn't last as long as the others and Ash, Dawn, Brock, Eric, and Tadashi found themselves in another part of the strange complex.

"These demons have a very strange way of traveling," Eric remarked. He looked ahead down a large hallway, the only way they could go. "We must be getting close, just down this hallway perhaps."

As they started walking down, Dawn started to have things go through her head. If they were to meet Zion, it means they would have to fight against her father. She started to feel doubt in herself. _"I can't just kill my own father," _she thought. _"Then again, he is already dead." _But even so, how could she bring herself to do it?

"Piplup?" She then looked up and saw that Piplup was looking at her from the top of her head with a concerned expression on his face.

Dawn just smiled as she took Piplup off her head and held him in her hands. "Don't worry about me Piplup, I know what I have to do," she said quietly so that no one else could hear. She then gave him a small hug. "But if something happens to me, I want you to take care of the others," she added, as tears silently filled her eyes.

Piplup looked at her in surprise. "Piplup..." he said quietly as he started to have tears form in his eyes as well.

Soon, they got to the end of the hallway, which appeared to reach a dead end. However, on the other side there appeared another doorway. "So how are we supposed to get across now?" Ash asked.

"The gap seems too wide for us to use any of our Pokemon," Brock said.

Eric, however, just stood there, staring at the doorway and then towards the gap. "Hmm, I wonder..." he said. He then took out a container which contained poffins and threw one out in the gap. What then occurred, which no one expected, was that the poffin stayed in the air where it fell. "I see," Eric then said. He then went over to the edge and slowly lifted a leg. Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, he then moved his foot forward.

As he probably expected, it hit a surface, but one that wasn't there. "Very clever," he said. He looked to the others. "Come on, I think Zion may just be on the other side." Once they got over to it, the door appeared to be bigger than they thought. "Okay, Brock, you and I will take the one side. Ash and Dawn, you two get the other."

They then got to each side and started pulling, opening the door bit by bit before it was wide enough for them to get through.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, the final battle is coming up very soon. However, there is one last part before that. And once again, I'm going back to music heard in P2. Why? Well, it just seems to make sense, especially dealing with a sequel. This song is "Silence Before The Storm" from Final Fantasy X.)

* * *

The small hallway was short, as it lead to another opening. There was where they noticed something, or more like someone.

A man was standing out in the middle of the opening, his back to them. Once they got close, he said, "Jeez Eric, it's about time you showed up. I was starting to worry you would never make it."

*Eric gasped in surprise. "Jak...?"

The man chuckled. "Why so surprised to see me?" He then turned around and was now facing him. Jak looked to be in his thirties with short brown hair while wearing gear similar to Eric's. "Then again, it's been ten years, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it has," Eric replied.

Jak then focused his eyes on his daughter. "Dawn, it has been awhile as well. Hows Johanna?"

"Mom's... fine," Dawn said, still surprised to see her dad standing before her.

"That's good to hear," Jak said. He then looked at Tadashi. "No, it couldn't be." He then laughed. "Tadashi, it is you! I can see that Eric has definitely taken good care of you."

"It's good to see you again, Jak," Tadashi said.

"It would be nice to return back home. But seeing that I am Zion now, I guess that's not possible," Jak said.

"That's not even funny!" Dawn cried out.

Jak then frowned once he looked back to Dawn. "I know you must be angry at me, Dawn," he said. "And you have every right to be. I was being selfish."

"No Jak, it's mine," Eric said. He then sighed. "I should've never asked you to come along. I just needed your help."

"No Eric, I knew the risks, and I still went along," Jak said. "I tried to save my home while turning my back on my family. I hope you can forgive me, Dawn."

"I'm not angry," Dawn said. However, tears were forming in her eyes. "But why did you have to go? Why couldn't someone else do it? Someone else instead of you?"

"Dawn, I never intended for this to happen," Jak said. "However, I knew that it would be you that would save me, because I know deep down inside how strong you are, not just as a trainer but as a person."

Dawn started shaking as the tears started streaming down her face. "Dad..." she said. She then ran over to him and gave him a hug, which he strongly returned while she sobbed into his shoulder.

Once she calmed down, he then held her, looking into her eyes. "Now it's time Dawn. It's time to finally end this nightmare."

"But I don't think I can..." Dawn said.

"You can, Dawn. You have to believe in yourself," Jak said. He then let go of her and walked to the edge of the large balcony. He then looked over to Tadashi. "Tadashi, I want you to know that no matter what happens, you'll always be my friend."

"What? What does he mean?" Dawn asked, looking at the Pokemon.

Tadashi just smiled. "I'm afraid that only you and I can end this, Dawn."

"What!?" Dawn said, surprised. She looked back to Jak. "You mean-"

"Yes, only Tadashi can destroy Zion for good," Jak said. "And only you can help him."

"Wait a minute," Ash said. "Dawn can't-"

"Yes, she can," Eric said. "You must believe in her, and what the prophecy says. It is her destiny."

Jak all of a sudden gave a shudder. "Oh no, it's already coming," he said. He then looked back to Dawn and smiled. "Be brave, my daughter." And with those words, he fell off from the ledge.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, this is the moment we've all been waiting for. I've been dying to use this music for some time and now I can finally do it. Now, this song goes by two names but because of the one I found on Youtube, I'm just going to call it "Lost Odyssey Battle Theme." Unfortunately, it doesn't have the best quality but it's the only one I could find where it had the entire song. The person who has it is named "Revolver7251." Anyway, hope you enjoy this battle!)

* * *

Dawn gasped and wanted to run towards the ledge, but something held her back, telling her to stay. All of a sudden, there was a rumble and then something shot into the air. Once it landed, Dawn realized with horror what it was.

The creature resembled a much larger, darker Ninetales with blazing red eyes that could easily pierce one's heart. Then, a ring of fire surrounded them, cutting them off from the others. The creature only continued to stare at Dawn, trapping her and Tadashi.

"So, we finally meet at last, Zion," Tadashi growled, baring his fangs. *Zion let out a howl that chilled Dawn to the bone. Tadashi, realizing Dawn's state, looked back at her. "Courage, Dawn," he said. "You have to have courage."

Dawn quickly got ahold of herself. "Your right," she said. "Let's do this Tadashi." She then stared down the great beast. "Alright dad, give us everything you got!"

"Insolent human, you are no match to my power," Zion said. "You will surely die." Zion then launched a large Flamethrower attack at Tadashi, which engulfed his entire body.

"Tadashi, no!" Dawn cried out. She couldn't lose her friend now.

All of a sudden, the flame dispersed and still Tadashi stood. "You took my friend from me, demon," he said. All of a sudden, his fur started to glow even whiter, making him look even more majestic. "Now you will pay for all you've done! Overheat!" He then shot a very powerful Overheat attack back at Zion, which seemed to greatly injure it.

Once it recovered, the beast stared at Tadashi with immense hatred. "Guardian of the light, your death is imminent!" Zion said as it shot a Hyper Beam straight at Tadashi. Before it hit, however, Tadashi managed to get up a Safeguard. It still pushed him back and soon the attack became too much as the Safeguard was destroyed and Tadashi was sent back, rolling onto the ground.

Still, he managed to get back on his feet, though slowly. "No," he said. "Death and destruction is all you caused." An orange-colored energy started to surround his body. "Killing non-stop for centuries." The energy grew stronger as it started to engulf him, and Dawn knew that attack from anywhere. "No more death. NO MORE DEATH!" Tadashi then shot straight at Zion using Giga Impact and attacked the beast, hitting it with immense force.

Zion then let out a huge roar of pain as it suddenly swayed in it's steps, surprised how it could be defeated by this Pokemon. It then fell to it's side and then exploded into hundreds of dark particles.

Tadashi, weakened by this battle, started to feel dizzy. However, he still let out a smile. "It is done, Jak," he managed to say before he fell to the ground.

* * *

(A/N: Ooooh, I love cliffhangers! XD Yes, that explains why this chapter was shorter. Okay, I know what you're going to say. "That battle was too short." Who said the battle was over, hmm? It's only just begun and besides I can't have something that evil die that easily. Anyway, I'm sorry it's shorter but I felt it was necessary to do and seeing as the next chapter should be the last, it'll be long enough to make up for this one. So until then, fight the power...)

FoxMcCloud7921


	20. A New Dawn

(A/N: Okay, before we start this chapter, I want to make one thing clear. Some people may be confused about the difference between Zion and Tamamo-no-Mae. Let me break it down as easy as I can:

Tamamo-no-Mae = Evil spirit that has lived on for centuries. (You'll learn what she really is very soon.)

Zion = The host that Tamamo-no-Mae uses to make herself more powerful. Without Zion, Tamamo-no-Mae is much weaker and more vulnerable.

Hope that clears everything up. Now let's finish this story with a bang! But before that, I already have a song coming up. This song is rather... sad. The name of it is "Sweet Escape" by Paul Cardall.)

* * *

Chapter 20: A New Dawn

"Tadashi!" Dawn cried out, running towards the fallen Pokemon. She knelt beside him and lifted his head gently. He was breathing slightly but he was still. "Please Tadashi, you have to wake up," Dawn said. Tears were once again forming in her eyes. "I've already lost dad, I can't lose you too!"

Tadashi then opened his eyes slowly and looked up to Dawn. "Dawn..." he said slowly. "Do you remember... back in Twinleaf Town... when you were little. The day we went into the forest by ourselves. We were foolish, since we ran into dozens of Beedrill that day."

**Flashback**

*_"Come on Tadashi," Dawn said as they continued through the forest. "You're too slow."_

_"Dawn, are you sure about this?" the Vulpix said. "We really shouldn't be here by ourselves."_

_"Hey, no need to worry," Dawn said, giving him a wink. "We'll be back home before Mom and Dad do."_

_"When you say that, that's when I do tend to worry," Tadashi said._

_There was then the sound of buzzing and all of a sudden, dozens of Beedrill filled the sky, staring at the two of them._

_"Ahh!" Dawn cried out. "Tadashi, what are we going to do!?"_

_The Beedrill then charged right at Dawn and she closed her eyes in fear. However, nothing came and once she opened her eyes and saw Tadashi in front of her, while many Beedrill surrounded them, all knocked out._

_Tadashi looked back to her with a smile on his face. "Don't worry Dawn, as long as I'm with you, you'll always be safe..."_

"But, I still took them head-on, just to protect you. And I knew, after that, I had to protect you, always. Because you are my friend, and I love you," Tadashi said.

"Tadashi...." Dawn said, moved by this. She then smiled. "I love you too, and thank you for all you've done for me."

Tadashi then got up slowly. "I'll be fine," he said, licking Dawn on the cheek. "But I think my battle is over."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, here's the other sad song. The reason, I think you may know why. This song is called "Embraced," also by Paul Cardall.)

* * *

Dawn then noticed something in front of her. She then saw that her father was lying on the ground. *"Dad!" she cried out, going over to him. He didn't appear hurt, but Dawn knew what was going to happen now.

Jak then opened his eyes and looked at Dawn with a smile. "Dawn..." he said. "You did well. Both of you. Thanks to you, I can finally go on and rest in peace."

"Wait, I'm sure you can still be saved," Dawn said.

Jak just chuckled. "Dawn," he said, placing a hand against her face. "I've been dead for almost ten years. Besides, you already did." He then looked to Tadashi, who limped over. "Tadashi my friend, I now know it was fate when we first met that day in the forest. I'm glad to have met you, but I'm also glad to have had you as a friend."

"Be at peace, Jak," Tadashi said. "You deserve a nice long rest."

"That I do," Jak said, smiling. He looked back to Dawn and saw that she was crying silently.

Dawn then noticed something out of the corner of her eye and looked over to see what appeared to be a dark cloud-like object hovering above them. Dawn knew very well what it had to be. "You stay away from him!" Dawn cried out angrily. "You will never hurt him again!"

"Wait!" Jak then took hold of Dawn's hands. "There is one other thing. When I was... Zion, I remember she always talked to me... Tamamo-no-Mae. She's not what you think she is."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"She used to be a Pokemon goddess," Jak said. "But she was hunted down, and abused by humans long ago who feared her and in her anger, her darkness took control of her. Now she has to be free of it and only you can do it. You and your friends."

Dawn somehow found pity for the Pokemon, despite the hatred she previously had for it. "I will then. I will free her."

"Thank you Dawn," Jak said. "The only thing I ask now is that you can forgive me. Forgive me for leaving you behind and never telling you what happened." He managed to utter one last thing. "I love you Dawn." And then, his body started to glow and in a flash, he was gone.

Dawn lowered her head in sadness as Tadashi howled into the heavens, his way of saying goodbye. "You are forgiven Dad," Dawn said. "And I will always love you."

* * *

(A/N: Alright, this is it. The real final battle. As such, I reserved this song for such a case since it seems to fit in well with it. Now, I don't have the exact name of it, but I guess I'll just say it's the "Battle Theme" from the long-awaited Final Fantasy XIII. And no, this isn't the same song I once used for the title. This is the actual battle theme.)

* * *

Dawn then looked at the black mass, now starting to take shape. *"Alright Tamamo-no-Mae," she said. "It's time for you to be freed from the darkness, once and for all."

"Don't think you're doing this one alone," Eric said, who was now right beside her.

"We're helping you, no matter what," Ash said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"And you can never turn away help," Brock said, who placed a hand on her other shoulder.

Dawn nodded. "You're right," she said. "Let's finish this once and for all." She then took out all her Pokeballs. "Alright everyone, I need your help!" There were multiple flashes of light and all of Dawn's Pokemon appeared.

"You ready for this, Pikachu?" Ash said.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu said, nodding.

"Alright, everyone come on out!" Ash said, calling out his Pokemon.

"Let's help aid these guys, everyone!" Brock said, calling out his as well.

"For Jak's sake, we mustn't fail," Eric said. "Everyone, I need you for one last fight!" There were three more lights and Eric's Pokemon appeared.

Dawn then noticed another Pokemon ready to fight. "You too?" she said to Tadashi.

"You bet," Tadashi said.

The black mass had finally taken shape and now it's resembled a much more normal Ninetales, although still black, and instead of nine tails, it only had one.

"If each of us attack at once, it should be enough," Dawn said. "Alright, Piplup, use BubbleBeam; Buneary, use Ice Beam; Pachirisu, use Discharge; and Mamoswine, use AncientPower!" The attacks then hit the creature and it showed signs of pain.

"Buizel, use Water Pulse; Monferno, use Flamethrower; Grotle, use Energy Ball; Gliscor, use X-Scissor; Staraptor, use Brave Bird," Ash said. "Alright Pikachu, give the biggest Thunderbolt you got!" The second wave hit Tamamo-no-Mae, causing it a great deal of damage, but it still stood.

"Croagunk, use Brick Break; Sudowoodo, use Hammer Arm; and Happiny, use Secret Power!" Brock said.

"We'll join as well!" Eric said. "Lucario, use Aura Sphere; Luxio, Charge Beam; and Pidgeot, use Air Slash!" The combined attacks from both parties struck the creature again and now it was near breaking point.

"It's almost beaten," Dawn said. "Alright Tadashi, let's avenge Dad, once and for all. Use Overheat!" Tadashi then launched the most powerful Overheat attack he could muster against Tamamo-no-Mae and it seemed to be the final strike.

* * *

(A/N: Sorry, I couldn't put this anywhere else. One last little song to prove as the "victory theme" I guess you could say. The name of this song is "Adagio Of Life And Death II" from Princess Mononoke. Once again, I say to remember the "II." Oh yeah, and to avoid interrupting again, after the scene break, I will also use "Victory" from Lost Odyssey.)

* * *

*The beast, appeared to be critically wounded from all the attacks, started swaying in it's steps. It's eyes started drooping as it came to realize for once that death was approaching it. It then collapsed to the ground, finally defeated. However, it then exploded into small particles that flew up into the air.

* * *

Meanwhile, the demons had rushed into the city, with little resistance. Vasquard knew he had to fight until his coming death came. He and the remainder of his soldiers were huddled up against the corner as the demons approached them. However, the strangest thing happened.

The demons all of a sudden stopped in their tracks, going suddenly still. There then came cries of pain as the demons all of a sudden became nothing more than dust on the ground.

There was a shocked silence among the soldiers. *All of a sudden, there came a quick cheer as the others joined in and the cheers rang all over the city. Somehow, the demons had been defeated.

"But, how is this possible?" a soldier said. "It could only mean that someone had finally defeated Zion. But who?"

Vasquard smiled as he looked to the horizon. "Oh, I think I know who may be responsible."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, so I sort of lied. I actually have ANOTHER song to do, but I didn't feel like adding that above as well. I'll try to stop this from now on, if I can. Anyway, the name of this song is "Ashitaka and San" from Princess Mononoke. Oh yeah, if you ever have trouble looking for any of these songs, don't worry about it.)

* * *

Dawn then found herself on her knees, most likely from exhaustion. "It's over," she said. "It's finally over."

"The question is, what do we do know?" Ash asked.

"Return home and hopefully we weren't too late," Eric said.

However, before they did anything else, particles began to flow in the air, but instead of black, they were white. They then circled around and then began to take shape. Once it did, an all too familiar shape appeared.

*"Is that...?" Dawn began to say.

"Tamamo-no-Mae," Eric said. "As she once was."

The great Ninetales stood before them with a smile on her face. "Humans and Pokemon, you have released my spirit from the darkness," she said. "For many generations evil has plagued my heart and soul and against my will I did terrible deeds. I thank you for what you've done." She then looked around and frowned slightly. "This world is not what it used to be. I will bring it back to the way it was."

All of a sudden, the area around them changed dramatically. There were now blue skies instead of dark; there was green grass surrounded by trees, and life had been brought back.

"Now everything is back to the way it was," Tamamo-no-Mae said. She then looked back to the trainers. "Dawn, that is your name, isn't it? You have my deepest gratitude for what you did." She then frowned again. "Unfortunately, because of me, the one you loved dearly is now gone. I am sorry for your loss."

Dawn just shook her head while smiling. "No, it is fine," she said. "I know it was never your true intention to do any of this. I'm just glad I could help."

The Ninetales then looked to Tadashi. She couldn't help but chuckle seeing that he was kneeling before her. "Why do you kneel before me, guardian?"

"I must offer my respects to a goddess," Tadashi said. "It wouldn't be my character not to."

"I see," Tamamo-no-Mae said. "Perhaps I haven't truly explained who I am. Many generations ago, I was a protector of the forests and the Pokemon that lived there. I, along with other gods and goddesses, made sure that the Pokemon world was kept in perfect balance. It was I who made Ninetales guardians of the light and the forest. Peacekeepers, in another sense. Of course, humans at that time feared us and hunted us down. Going against my will, I soon found hatred against them for what they did or tried to do and that was when the darkness became a part of me, turning me into a savage beast. I... regret all I did, but now it is time for me to move on. For all you've done, I wish I could repay you in some way." She then looked to Eric. "Wait, perhaps there is something I can do. Human, you carry a dark curse of the demons. A foul deed they tried to commit, making you one of them. However, I will free you from this curse so that you can live your remaining days in peace." She then blew air out of her mouth and the air surrounded Eric, purifying his body. "Consider it a token of my thanks," she said. "Now, I will return you back to the world you belong. Once again, I thank you and wish good fortune to all of you..."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, this should be the last song before I end up doing the credits. This will be a nice and simple song. It's called "Birth Of A Nation" by Immediate Music. I think it's kind of a good song to have the story end to.)

* * *

The next day, Ash, Dawn, Brock, Eric, and Tadashi found themselves near the port. They were soon heading onto a ship that would take them back to Sinnoh.

"So Ash, Dawn tells me you're planning on going to Sunnyshore City to get your final badge so that you can enter the Sinnoh League," Eric said.

"Yep, it'll be tough but I think with my team, we're unbeatable," Ash said. "Right Pikachu?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu said, nodding.

Eric chuckled. "Dawn definitely knows how to find her friends." He then looked to her. "It had been awhile since we had seen each other. I'm just sorry it had to end so soon."

"But surely you'll come and visit?" Dawn said.

"We'll see," Eric said. "I'll probably end up being real busy since the new king appointed me as commander of all Cerenia forces." He grinned. "Vasquard must really have faith in me. But, there is one thing left I have to give you." *He then reached into his belt and took out a Pokeball.

"Wait, isn't that Tadashi's?" Dawn asked.

"It is," Eric said. "And I'm giving it to you."

"You mean Tadashi is my Pokemon now?" Dawn said, looking at the Ninetales.

"That's right," Eric said.

"I don't know," Dawn said. "He's been with you longer, I just can't take him from you."

"Dawn, you have no idea how much Tadashi wanted to see you again," Eric said. "Jak would've wanted it this way, seeing as he's your father. Besides, Tadashi has seen enough of me as is."

"I wouldn't say that," Tadashi said, smirking. "We'll surely see each other again."

Dawn then took the Pokeball. "Alright," Dawn said. "I'll make sure to take good care of him."

"Hey, no need to worry, right?" Eric said, giving her a wink.

Dawn just laughed as she gave her godfather one final hug goodbye. "That's my line," she whispered.

Soon, the trio made their way onto the ship and once it took off, they waved one last time to Eric, who was still standing at the port.

"You know, I still can't help but feel bad for Leon," Ash said.

"Yeah, if he didn't do what he had done, maybe he would still be alive," Brock added.

Dawn found a smile on her face and then looked to Tadashi. "No," Dawn said. "Leon may have done the wrong things. But he did it for all the right reasons. I certainly won't forget what he done..."

The ship then continued it's path towards Sinnoh, leaving the peaceful island behind, now finally free of anymore pain.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, now for the credits. Or should I say, the first set of credits. That's right, this story isn't completely over yet. Anyway, the name of this song is called "Ending Theme" from Final Fantasy X. So stay tuned to see what happens next!)

FoxMcCloud7921


	21. Epilogue

(A/N Aha! Fooled you didn't I? Probably not since I already explained before. Anyway, here's the closing scene of the story. Enjoy!)

* * *

Epilogue

_"Ugh, I hope I'm making the right choice here," _Eric thought as he stood in front of the video phone. He shifted uncomfortably, but then picked up the phone and dialed a number.

He didn't have to wait long before someone answered. The person who answered was a woman who had blue hair just like Dawn and was holding a Glameow.

"Oh, hi Eric. It's good to see you," the woman said.

"Hi, Johanna," Eric said, looking down slightly. "It's been ten years since we talked, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it sure has," Johanna said. She then smiled. "You look like you haven't aged a bit."

"I could definitely say the same about you," Eric said. "I can see that you've been taking good care of yourself."

"Yes, I've been by myself a lot lately since Dawn went out on her adventure," Johanna said. "You know, she's become quite the coordinator."

"Really?" Eric said. He thought it was best that she didn't know what had happened. "Well, I guess she must've inherited her mother's genes."

Johanna giggled. "Oh Eric, sweet as always."

Eric smiled back but then sighed. "Listen Johanna, I'm sorry about what happened with Jak. I never wanted him to get hurt."

Johanna just smiled while shaking her head. "Don't worry about it, Eric. I know he did the right thing and I shouldn't blame you for what went wrong. Besides, you two were best friends. However, I will be most upset if you don't end up visiting sometime. I'm sure Dawn would be happy to see you as well."

Eric chuckled. "Well, guess I'll have to do that then. Well Johanna, I have to get back to certain things. We'll talk again later, okay?"

"Alright Eric, I'll see you then," Johanna said before the screen went black.

"Well, that wasn't nearly as bad as I thought," Eric said out loud. He then looked back to the horizon. "Looks I might be seeing you again after all, Dawn."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, time for the next set of credits music. This I made sure to save for last. It is called "The Legend of Ashitaka Theme (End Credit)" from Princess Mononoke.)

* * *

Me – Well, it took me almost three months, but I finally finished it. From now on, I think I'll make summer my time off.

Pikette – Well, it may have taken three months but it was still a brilliant story.

Me – You actually think that? No sarcasm?

Pikette – No, I mean it. Of course, I can't exactly say it's your best since you have many more stories coming up. But I'm definitely looking forward to this next one.

Me – Yeah, I figured you would but we won't say anything yet, okay?

Pikette – Gotcha.

Me – So, before I forget, I must do the usual: Thank you to Nintendo for making an awesome series. Thank you to the makers of Lost Odyssey, an amazing game I really want to play. Nobuo Uematsu, what I can say? You are a music god. And also, thank you to my loyal reviewers who've always stuck by me. So with that, this is FoxMcCloud7921 signing off.


End file.
